Carl Roberts 
“Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime is a shocking look behind the scenes of To Catch A Predator, but falls into the trap of not going far enough, despite a great performance from Robert Pattinson.”
The series To Catch A Predator ran on TV from 2004 to 2007 before being canceled. Now, the story of the program and its host is the subject of a biographical crime drama film, Primetime. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, the host of To Catch A Predator. It also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher, and Bokeem Woodbine in supporting roles. Lance Oppenheim directs the film, which will hit UK and Irish cinemas on October 30th. Can the film bring us a superb and chilling look at the sexual predators the show went after, giving us a terrific behind-the-scenes look at the program and its creators? Is it a hatchet job that disconnects from reality?
THE PREMISE
In 2006, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen set out to make television history. The crime-investigating television journalist changed the face of television with his take on the underworld of sexual predators on the internet.
THOUGHTS
To be fair and honest, it is a little of both. The film’s shooting style, reminiscent of 2000s broadcasts, captivates and delivers a satisfying experience. However, the way the film presents its protagonist, Chris Hansen, as an ego maniac interested only in sensationalism and with little regard for his crew or the real victims drags the film down into something resembling a hatchet job on the presenter. Instead of offering an in-depth look at what went on behind the scenes and the real motivation behind it, it becomes something that, instead of shocking us to the core, leaves us with a sour taste in our mouths. While we do feel sorry for some of the participants, it feels like its only motivation is to trash the presenter, to show him as a completely morally bankrupt scumbag.
THE TRUE EVENTS AND THE FILM VERSION
The television news magazine program featured host Chris Hanson confronting adult men who visited a sting house where they thought they were meeting up with underage girls for sex. The minors they thought they would be meeting turned out to be adults who impersonated underage children on web forums to lure these people out. The series was canceled following the suicide of Bill Conradt, an assistant district attorney in Rockwall County, Texas. This occurred just as police were preparing to serve him with a search warrant after they caught him exchanging photographs with someone he believed was a 13-year-old boy.
Conradt’s suicide takes center stage in the film near the climax. But it rushes through it, almost running roughshod over the event in its quest to get to the finish line. Even so, the film rushes through it, never telling the audience what happened after the tragic event. Despite some brilliant performances at its core, the film still leaves the audience scratching their heads. Even Skyler Gisondo as Daniel “Dan” Plum (based on Dan Schrack) gets short shrift, despite his performance and his vital part in the proceedings. The film is more interested in portraying Hansen as nothing short of an egomaniac, focused only on ratings. And that isn’t what we came here for, or what we expected to see.
SKYLER GISONDO
The main cast’s performances are superb. The aforementioned Skyler Gisondo as Daniel “Dan” Plum gives an impassioned, heartfelt, emotional, and dramatic performance we know the actor can provide. Dan is a wannabe actor trying to get his Guild card. Accepting the offer to become the new decoy on To Catch A Predator, Dan has to act and sound like a thirteen-year-old boy. He doesn’t know what he’s agreed to or what he’s getting into.
His first encounter ends with a paedophile exposing himself and spraying whipped cream on his genitals. The audience mirrors Dan’s look as the scene plays out in full, graphic detail. Gisondo perfectly performs his role, getting the audience firmly on his side, feeling his dread and pain, his nerves and disgust. He carries on after a pep talk from Hansen, allowing his ambition to overrule his head and heart. We want to scream out to him, tell him he’s being exploited. But throughout, Gisondo is never less than excellent.
MERRITT WEVER
Merritt Wever as Andie Bender, Hansen’s producer at Dateline NBC, is also superb. Her character is a fictional composite of several producers who worked on the show. Backing Hansen to the full, Andie is the one in the firing line, with both Hansen and other studios wanting to recruit her after her success with the show. Although she declines, Hansen’s increasingly erratic behavior has her reconsidering. Right now, we strongly support Andie, seeing her as an innocent producer caught up in Hansen’s drama. However, by the end, her true professional self emerges. After Conradt’s suicide, her frustration over losing the confrontational interview she wanted shifts as she focuses on salvaging the episode. She takes the initiative to interview the police officers who witnessed the death, seeking their insights on what happened.
After her superb and rather evil performance as Joyce Salters in last year’s Christy, the actress delivers a similar, though less self-centered, performance as Andie. She is ambitious, focused, and desperate to get the job done, to make the show rocket to the top of the ratings. Along the way, she has a few wobbles with her thoughts and decision-making, only to come across as ruthless and unscrupulous by the end credits. Merritt Wever turns in a fine performance, one that underlines her as a brilliant actress.
ROBERT PATTINSON
However, there’s no denying that this is Robert Pattinson’s film. His sheer presence as Chris Hansen puts everyone in the shade. From the moment we first see him confront a paedophile, coming down the stairs and telling him to have a seat, Pattinson as Hansen commands our attention. In these confrontational scenes, Pattinson delivers a masterclass of acting. He immerses himself in his role and gives it his all. In any other movie, this would make him an obvious Academy Award nominee. But, and it is a shame to say this, the script and what he is given to do as Hansen undermine his chances. This isn’t a balanced account of Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator; it’s character assassination. Pattinson portrays Hansen as a cheating, egotistical, uncaring, power-hungry slimeball who cares little for anyone or anything except his reputation and celebrity.
In my opinion, Chris Hansen has criticized Pattinson’s performance unfairly. Pattinson is excellent in his role, given what he has to work with. It isn’t his fault that viewers detest Hansen as he is portrayed here. If the film were a balanced account of the events, we wouldn’t be talking about this. But despite these script shortcomings, Pattinson delivers a remarkable performance. He proves he’s one of the best character actors when given decent material. In this case, he faces a one-note role, yet he transforms it into something much deeper. We definitely dislike Hansen as portrayed, but it’s clear we’re not getting the complete or honest story. Instead, we get a masterclass of acting from Robert Pattinson.
VERDICT
Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime is a shocking look behind the scenes of To Catch A Predator, but falls into the trap of not going far enough, despite a great performance from Robert Pattinson. Or the scriptwriter Ajon Singh’s version of events, based on “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die”
by Luke Dittrich. Instead of offering a fair, balanced, and truthful version of events and of Hansen himself, the film opts for sensationalism. At no time, apart from the suicide scene near the climax, do we really believe that what we are seeing is a true representation of people and events.
Instead of looking into the real psyche of Hansen, we are presented with a skewed version, one where Hansen is the villain of the piece throughout. Hansen himself has described the film as “an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators.” To be honest, he does have a point at times. But can we really know whether some of what we see in the film is true or fabricated?
HAVE A SEAT
We will probably never know. But no matter how you view it, the film doesn’t delve into the paedophile, their motivations, their thought processes, or what drives them enough. It wants us to hate them; as to me, we should. But it also hints that Hansen is the same way regarding his career. Instead of abusing children, the film makes us view Hansen as someone who abuses his co-workers and the paedophiles themselves, using them to advance his standing and career.
To put it mildly, the film needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Take it as it is presented, and you may have an interesting and thoughtful time at the cinema. While the film isn’t bad, despite its faults (it is actually quite good), it is, sadly, a disposable, sensationalist piece of movie entertainment. Have a seat, sit back, and watch the film as it is presented. And then try to work out the truth afterward.
Primetime opens in UK and Irish cinemas from this Friday, courtesy of A24.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
