Derek Cianfrance's new film (Blue Valentine) is built around the main qualities of its star, Channing TatumA rare combination of imposing physical presence, playful charisma, and emotional vulnerability. Jeffrey Manchester, the amateur criminal who in real life robbed several fast-food restaurants and ended up living for six months in a Toys 'R' Us, is a character not far removed from thestripper sensitive and –only seemingly– self-assured, the character Tatum portrayed in Magic Mike, Soderbergh's torrid film. The actor seems comfortable, then, within the confines of a characteristic American cinematic archetype: the shameless opportunist who, cast aside by an unjust system, sabotages it by setting traps.