| Director | Derek Cianfrance |
|---|---|
| Budget | $19 million |
| Box office | $34.8 million |
In 1998, Jeffrey Manchester is a divorced U.S. Army veteran living in North Carolina. Struggling to provide for his three young children, Jeffrey is reminded by Steve, his friend and fellow member of the 82nd Airborne Division, of his powerful skills of observation. Jeffrey uses his knack for noticing and exploiting routines to rob a McDonald's fast food restaurant, breaking in through the roof at night. Surprising the morning shift, Jeffrey orders the employees into the walk-in freezer but treats them kindly, even handing over his own coat to the manager to wear before escaping with the contents of the safe.
Over the next two years, Jeffrey uses the same strategy over 40 times, capturing the attention of the authorities and the media as the mysterious "Roofman". Arrested at his daughter's birthday party after attempting to flee, he is sentenced to 45 years in prison while his ex-wife, Talana, ends his contact with their children.
Using his ingenuity, he escapes prison and calls Steve. Steve reprimands him for calling him and says he has to call back within a month. He conceals himself inside a Toys "R" Us store, subsisting on candy and observing the employees.
He decides to wait out the month in the store, but when he calls Steve he learns that Steve has taken a contract in Afghanistan and will not be back for 6 months. He settles into the store, making a nice place for himself hidden behind the bike shelves. He takes a liking to one of the employees, Leigh, after seeing her manager Mitch being harsh on her. Mitch won't donate toys for the toy drive Leigh has organized at her church.
Jeffrey then steals the toys and donates in front of the church. Here, a churchgoer encourages him to come inside. After the sermon, Jeffrey is forced to make contact with the people and claims to be John, a visiting New Yorker. The people try to set him up with Leigh.
Leigh and Jeffrey connect and after a few dates. Jeffrey suggests that he could meet her daughters, missing his own children. Jeffrey keeps visiting Leigh and her daughters, even teaching the oldest daughter how to drive. The four of them start to build a life together.
Six months has passed, Jeffrey visits Steve, who tells him that he can get a new passport and documents for 50K. Desperate to forge a new life, Jeffrey robs the Toys "R" Us store at gunpoint, taking everyone hostage and pistol-whipping an armed security guard. Leigh arrives during the robbery and recognizes him. Jeffrey escapes and delivers the money to Steve. Steve then implores him to cut ties with everyone forever when he arrives. Jeffrey is on his way to the airport when Leigh calls him and asks if he comes for the Christmas dinner that day and that she loves him. Tearful at the thought of leaving them behind, he turns the car around.
Jeffrey is at Leigh's door when he's ambushed by the police. Another 32 years are added to his prison sentence. Not planning to escape anymore, Jeffrey tries to make a life for himself at the prison. Leigh visits him and forgives him.
During the credits, photographs of the real Jeffrey Manchester are shown, along with footage from local news reports in 2004 related to the case, and interviews with the real Leigh as well as others who interacted with Manchester. Manchester has tried to escape the prison twice since then.