“Roofman” made its box-office debut on Friday, Oct. 10, quickly gaining attention for the absurdity of its story: a prison escapee living undetected inside a Toys “R” Us for six months. Not only is the story insane, but it also actually happened, right here in Charlotte, N.C.
Actually, something similar happened, but due to the movie’s creative departure from the truth, here is a side-by-side comparison of what happened in the film to what happened in real life. Beware of obvious spoilers ahead.
A life of crime
Film: Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) is a down-on-his-luck army veteran turned criminal mastermind. His signature move was to cut through the roof of a McDonald’s, rappel through the ceiling, force the employees into the walk-in freezer, and rob the safe and registers.
The comedy lies in the dichotomy between his technical logic and overly sweet disposition; his kindness often being what slows him down the most…