The true story behind Channing Tatum’s new crime-dramedy

Manchester also became known for being unusually polite to those he encountered during his robberies. Los Angeles Times He reported that he sometimes locked his staff in the freezer and then notified the police so they could be rescued. Employees also remembered his kindness, frequently saying “please” and “thank you” and encouraging them to grab their coats before putting them in the freezer.

Caught red handed

Manchester was caught and arrested in May 2000 after robbing a McDonald’s in North Carolina. Charlotte Observer. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

But it broke out just four years later.

He reportedly escaped from Brown Creek Correctional Facility in June 2004 by hanging onto the underside of a delivery vehicle. He sought safety and hiding at the Toys “R” Us in Charlotte, where he stayed for several months.

Accordingly TIMEManchester used baby monitors to keep track of others’ whereabouts during the day. The toy store turns out to be an ideal area for a fugitive; He survived on baby food and kept fit by exercising on the store bikes.

Church, nicknames and pushing your luck

After months of dodging Toys “R” Us employees and the police, Manchester began to gain confidence and increase cabin excitement.

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He ventured into town around November 2004, even attending services at a local church under the pseudonym “John Zorn.” It was here that he met single mother Leigh Wainscott (played by Dunst in the film), whom he later began dating. It is noteworthy that in the movie, the two meet at a toy store instead of a church.

Wainscott said Manchester had no idea about criminal activity at the time and told him he was working for the government.

In January 2005, Wainscott was questioned by police while at work. Charlotte Observer. Officers showed him a photo of a man he knew to be John Zorn; but they told him it was actually Manchester, an escaped convict from the “America’s Most Wanted” website.

After recovering from the shock, Wainscott agreed to help authorities capture Manchester by setting a trap for him on Manchester’s birthday. Since Manchester was picking up Wainscott from his home, police were able to wait for him there. After Wainscott called her to ask when she would arrive, other officers followed her car and followed her even as she took a quick detour to buy flowers at a grocery store.

He was arrested upon arrival at Wainscott’s home and handed over to the police “relatively peacefully”. local news.

Since then Manchester Incarcerated at Central Prison in North Carolina. He is expected to be released in 2036, at which time he will be 65 years old.

Roofer on the big screen

Cianfrance, known for directing extremely gripping films, Blue Valentine’s Day And the place Beyond the PinesHe was impressed by Manchester’s “crazy story” and noted how “incredible” some of his actions sounded.

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To make the event as realistic as possible, Cianfrance interviewed several people involved in the case, even casting some of them in the film (for example, Wainscott plays a toll gate guard and Dunst is interrogated by the police officers who interview Wainscott).

Cianfrance also reached Manchester in prison. The director estimates that he spoke with him more than 100 times so that he understood Manchester’s motives and mistakes, turning the film into a funny but sensitive examination of misguided materialism.

“Jeff wrote a crazy movie for himself and lived it,” Cianfrance says. “What finally made me realize what the movie was about was Jeff just trying to figure out how to be a father. He was doing everything for his family.”

Tatum also said that he met with Manchester frequently and they bonded by talking about their children and their hopes for the future.

“I received more than I could convey. I found myself almost being held by him, cared for by him,” Tatum says. “I didn’t grow up bad but I’m definitely a couple [of] Bad decisions hopefully far from 45 years in prison. But I think we’re all one or two bad decisions away from having a completely different life. Jeff told me, ‘I got greedy.'”

with AP

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