Overview
- Released in U.S. theaters on Oct. 10 after festival premieres, the film is drawing strong notices for Channing Tatum’s performance and Derek Cianfrance’s direction.
- Derek Cianfrance says he spoke with Jeffrey Manchester roughly four times a week for four years, with Tatum also engaging the real subject during development.
- Critics note the marketing’s lighter, comedic cues contrast with a film described as a character‑driven, melancholy drama.
- The adaptation selectively reshapes facts from the case, including portraying the love interest as a toy‑store employee rather than the local churchgoer he dated in real life.
- The story’s core events are grounded in reporting—multi‑state rooftop robberies, a 2004 prison escape, and months hiding in a Charlotte Toys “R” Us—and Manchester remains at Central Prison in Raleigh with a projected 2036 release.