Roofman (2025)

Posted on October 16, 2025December 7, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Roofman – Film Review

Cast: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Ben Mendelsohn

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Synopsis: After breaking out of prison, a former soldier and professional criminal on the run from the police seeks to avoid detection from the police by hiding in a branch of Toys ‘R’ Us…

Review: Upon hearing a film entitled Roofman, you might well think that without any prior knowledge, it would be the latest attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the superhero genre, especially one of the more obscure variety. Yet, this actually does not draw inspiration from the pages of a comic book and is emphatically not about a hero of any description. Incredulously, it is based on the bizarre true story of the escapades of a former soldier turned criminal and a rather ingenious plan he devises to avoid being caught.

It is the late 1990s, and Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) is a divorced US Army veteran struggling to provide for his three young children. Acting on the advice of his army colleague Steve (an underutilised Stanfield), he uses his powers of observation and ability to take advantage of routines to break into more than three dozen McDonald’s restaurants to steal cash from the safe, giving the morning shift employees the fright of their lives. Earning the nickname of “The Roofman” via the media, he is eventually caught and sent to prison. While locked up, he uses his meticulous eye for routines to escape prison and to avoid detection by the law, choosing to lay low by hiding in a Toys R Us store for months, completely unbeknownst to the store’s employees.

Derek Cianfrance is no stranger to finding humanity in the life of someone who is forced to turn to crime as a means to support individuals he so dearly loves, albeit from a distance. Therefore, Cianfrance and Gunn’s screenplay has a deft balancing act to find a way to sympathise with Manchester, in spite of his criminal antics. Fortunately, when you have an actor as charismatic and as likeable as Tatum is, that is certainly going to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Yet, it is evident that though he resorts to stealing to financially provide for his children, he is not the sort of ruthless criminal who would enter a store all guns blazing with no care for who could get hurt, quite the opposite as he goes out of his way to ensure the employees he encounters are safe and comfortable, shortly before locking them in a walk-in freezer.

The film is certainly at its most enjoyable and gleefully silly when depicting Manchester’s antics in the store. He uses an ingenious way to keep a watchful eye over the store and its employees to ensure that the coast is clear. Furthermore, when he knows he has the entire store all to himself, the antics he gets up to with all the toys in the world at his disposal to play with and living off candy, essentially living any child’s dream. He really is one big kid, and those who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s will certainly get a great big dose of Toys R Us nostalgia.

Never is Jeffrey’s kind heart more evident than when he escapes the confines of his hideout in the store and makes his way into the local community, where he meets and quickly falls in love with Leigh (Dunst). Leight is a working mum with two daughters who recently went through a divorce, and also happens to work at the very same store Manchester is hiding in, and has to deal with an unforgiving boss in Peter Dinklage’s Mitch. Having gotten into his criminal life out of a desire to take care of his kids, it is easy to want to root for him as he tries to make a positive impression on Leigh’s daughters, and the chemistry between Tatum and Dunst is sincere and delightful to watch. Given his status as a wanted fugitive, you know it is not going to be a lasting relationship, but it is easy to root for them and, against all odds, find a way to make it work.

Despite being someone whose heart is in the right place and who strives to be the perfect family man, unfortunately, he is not that. As endearing as Tatum’s performance is, the film is a little too kind to him and completely overlooks the fact that he got himself into his current predicament for a reason. The phrase “don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” comes to mind. Despite this mishap, Cianfrance brings plenty of humanity, humour and heart to this stranger-than-fiction tale that will make you laugh, smile and also make you wish you could transport yourself back to the 2000s, or back to being a kid again and having that wide-eyed look of wonder on your face when you walk into a toy store. Simpler times.

It could have certainly been much more critical of its leading man’s misdeeds, but thanks to Tatum’s witty and sincere performance and the hilarious shenanigans that ensue, this witty comedy crime caper will cut a hole in the roof of your heart and win you over.

2010-2019, Film Review, London Film Festival 2019

The King (2019)

Posted on November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The King – Film Review

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Pattinson, Ben Mendelsohn, Dean-Charles Chapman

Director: David Michôd

Synopsis: Following the death of his father, a young Prince succeeds his father as King, and immediately finds his rule under threat from internal politics, and the ever-present threat posed from across the English Channel…

Review: The world has undoubtedly changed in the several hundred years since the times of medieval politics. However, what hasn’t changed is the squabbling and backstabbing that goes on behind the scenes in politics and policy making in governments the world over. Though, it has to be said that considerably less swords are now involved. Though that hasn’t prevented this era from being dramatised quite a few times, most notably in recent times by Netflix. After 2018’s Outlaw King, with sword in hand, they are taking another swing at crafting a compelling medieval drama.

England has been at war for many years, and as such, a considerable proportion of the country’s resources are crippled. With the current king Henry IV (Mendelsohn) approaching the end of his life, he seeks to appoint his successor. Through not initially his first choice, his son Hal (Chalamet) is eventually crowned King, becoming Henry V. Having previously expressed little desire to assume the throne, the young King finds many obstacles in his path, from within his own circle to the prospect of invasion from foreign adversaries, all while finding out what kind of ruler he wishes to be. Shortly after being crowned, he is the recipient of a rather derogatory and insulting gift, which prompts the young King to have to decide if he wants to continue going to war.

Given that much of the film is on his personal struggle on his ascension to the throne, such a role would require an actor of immense stature to play such a Kingly figure. Chalamet is certainly a very capable actor, and while he gives it his all, but you can’t help but wonder if this was a role that was came too early on for him in his career. He certainly puts everything he’s got into the role but unfortunately for him, his performance is a bit too one dimensional and lacks that aforementioned stature and charisma that such a King should have in his armoury.

Though like any good King, he has some capable aides by his side, and its these performances that give Chalamet a run for his money. Most notably the jovial, and consistently entertaining John Fastolf (Edgerton). Similarly for William Gascoigne (Harris) who despite being a loyal adviser to the new King, has a personality and a demeanour of a man who you should keep a close eye on. Though on the opposite side of that coin, Robert Pattinson as the leader of the opposing French army really sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s certainly a capable actor, but unfortunately he provides some (perhaps inadvertently) comedic moments. His extremely dubious French accent leaves an awful lot to be desired, and one can perhaps question as to why a French actor was not hired for the part.

French actor or not, there’s clearly no expense spared on the production design, nor the costumes, and these help to bring an air of authenticity. From a technical perspective, the battle scenes are extremely well executed. With Michôd’s solid direction, and Adam Arkapaw’s impressive cinematography, they are by far, the highlights of the film. Yet, while the battle scenes are consistently entertaining, they are not nearly as enthralling when compared to the likes of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, what really lets the whole film down is a mixed bag of a script. Given that it’s a very loose adaption of the works of William Shakespeare, there was potential for greatness. While, it certainly has its moments, it ultimately falls short of providing a riveting narrative, that would make the audience bow down in wonder.

There’s some excellent technical aspects that deserve to be hailed. However due to a somewhat melodramatic leading performance and an indifferent script, The King does not earn the Crown it clearly covets.

2010-2019, Film Review

Captain Marvel (2019)

Posted on March 9, 2019March 9, 2019 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Captain Marvel – Film Review

Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law

Directors: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Synopsis: Whilst training on the alien homeworld of the Kree, a soldier has flashbacks of what she believes was her past life on Earth. With the threat of an alien invasion, she tries to piece together her memories whilst stopping the incoming attack…

Review: For all the might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its powerful array of characters, there has been one thing really missing from its roster. While the universe has seen plenty of powerful and inspiring women, it never had a female led film. This has all changed with the introduction of Captain Marvel, and though it has been a long time coming, this heroine makes quite the entrance, and she might just be the most powerful of them all.

Our titular hero is training on an alien planet belonging to the Kree (the race of Ronan the Accuser from Guardians of the Galaxy) with no knowledge of her past. Whilst on a mission, led by Jude Law’s Kree general to retrieve something of critical importance, she becomes caught in the crossfire of a war being waged by two alien species. Through a sequence of events, she arrives on Earth in the 90s, which coincides with one of those hostile alien races infiltrating the planet.

One thing that any superhero film has got to get right is the casting for its main hero, and with an actress of Brie Larson’s immense talents, Marvel once again got their casting spot on. Larson gives Captain Marvel personality and depth, and she is a hero you definitely want to root for. As with any hero, she has moments of vulnerability but, she takes those head on and become the hero, which is just so satisfying. Though he might be de-aged Samuel L Jackson is once again extremely entertaining as Nick Fury. With the film being set before he became the gruff eye-patched badass we know and love, he is able to get out and about and not glare menacingly at people. Also, yes that little ball of fur AKA Goose the Cat is the purrrrrfect (sorry) little companion.

It is extremely positive to see, at long last, a MCU film directed by a woman. Furthermore, Boden and Geneva Robertson-Dworet become only the second and third women to receive writing credits. The screenplay wastes no time putting the audience right in the picture from the word go, but its not without its problems. It does wobble in one or two places, most notably the second act. The pace comes to a sharp halt, as it strives to weave some extremely relevant political subtext into the story. Admirable as this may be, it doesn’t quite flow as seamlessly as it could do. With this being the 21st film in this universe, it is difficult for the filmmakers to make something that really stands out from the rest. There’s nothing on the magnitude of say one Mad Titan snapping his fingers and half the population turning to dust.

However, this isn’t to say that the action Boden and Fleck give us isn’t extremely entertaining. It is exhilarating, especially once we hit the third act and Captain Marvel has acquired her stripes, accompanied by a glorious 90s soundtrack. The arrival of Captain Marvel brings a new dimension to the MCU that opens up an array of possibilities for the future of the franchise, that will hopefully have more female heroes front and centre.

The familiar formula of MCU films of the past is very much present, but with a terrific lead performance by Larson, Captain Marvel is a very welcome addition to the Marvel roster.

2010-2019, Film Review

Ready Player One (2018)

Posted on April 16, 2018April 16, 2018 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Ready Player One – Film Review

Cast: Tye Sherdian, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg

Director: Steven Spielberg

Synopsis: In the year 2045, the real world in pretty bad shape. As such, in order to escape their daily troubles, many people go into a virtual game world known as the OASIS, where a world of games and activities await…

Review: If ever there was a record for the amount of pop culture references that were made throughout the runtime of one particular film, the odds are good that this particular work would be pretty near the top of the list. If you were to play a round of pop culture bingo whilst watching this film, you would probably have enough references to yell out bingo, possible a few times over, and maybe then a few more.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline, the story focuses on Wade Watts (name to sound like a superhero alter-ego). He is just one of many citizens whose life is far from idyllic in Columbus, Ohio. So he goes into the virtual reality world known as the OASIS, essentially on a daily basis. Given what you can do in this world (basically anything) it isn’t hard to see why people jump into this world with such regularity. As part of a prize left behind by the world’s creator, a competition arises to win a pretty sweet prize that would change the life of the winner forever, which naturally has Wade’s attention. All the while, the head honchos at a rival company led by Nolan Sorrento (Mendelsohn) try to get their hands on the big prize for their own maniacal purposes.

Given the sheer volume of pop culture references in this film, it could have very easily felt just like a massive pop culture extravaganza. However, despite all the references that will undoubtedly delight audiences everywhere, Spielberg strikes a balance between the vast array of pop culture and a very personal story involving Wade and the relationship he begins to strike up with another gamer, namely Samantha (Cooke). The chemistry between these two is really well done and provides the film with the emotional heart that it really needs amidst all the pop culture phenomenon that is taking place, and the battle that ensues between these two and Sorrento.

Given the portfolio of a director such as Spielberg, with so many pieces of work that have left their ever-lasting stamp on the world of entertainment, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Spielberg crafts a visual treat in terms of the world of the OASIS and all that it encompasses. After his last few films have ventured for the most part into the Oscar territory, it is refreshing to see Spielberg go back into the pure blockbuster spectacle territory. As such, it is likely that a lot of fun was being had during the production, which definitely filters through when it comes to the story. Though it is a visual treat, the plot does suffer from some narrative issues and there is a notable lack of character development on some of the supporting crew besides Wade and Samantha. Furthermore, though the film is extremely entertaining visually, the plot can’t help but stray into very familiar and predictable territory.

Nevertheless, there is something delightful to behold in what Spielberg has brought to the screen, which will definitely be enhanced by how many of the references you will recognise and appreciate. Sheridan and Cooke are excellent in their key roles, and Mark Rylance once again reunites with Spielberg to great effect once again as perhaps the most significant player in this entire story. Spielberg strikes just about the right balance between this incredible world of the OASIS and the real life struggle that comes about as a result of this quest. The nostalgia factor plays its part, but the film is driven deeply personal story at its core. Though let’s be fair, a film driven entirely by the nostalgia/Pop culture Easter egg bonanza under the genius vision of a director like Spielberg wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing at all.