In 2006, NBC decides to move Chris Hansen’s (Robert Pattinson) reality TV series “To Catch A Predator” to prime time to directly challenge ABC’s Lost. Can Hansen deliver the ratings NBC wants?
Primetime is a rather unique and peculiar entertainment experience for a British viewer. Prior to the trailers for this film arriving earlier this year, I had never heard of Chris Hansen or his show “To Catch A Predator”. But apparently this show, which sought to entrap paedophiles by creating honey traps and then confronting them on camera, was very much part of the American consciousness when it aired. So much so that Hansen has gone on to create similar shows and even a streaming service dedicated to True Crime.
This film focuses on three characters’ roles within the show and the sensational outcome of a sting operation they perform.
Hansen, portrayed exceptionally well by Robert Pattinson, is an arrogant and self-important man. His pompous attitudes and behaviour will bring to mind Christian Bale’s imperious performance as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho or the moral vacuum that was Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in Nightcrawler. Each time Hansen introduces himself, stating his full name for posterity, it brings a smirk to my face. And when he delivers his terrible father-figure speeches and explains that he is “cleansing the world from an ancient evil”, you know all you need to know about his character.
Hansen’s producer Andie (Merritt Wever) is a complicated character. Excellent at her job, unappreciated by Hansen, and yet fiercely loyal to him. She tries her absolute best to juggle his goals with the simple fact that she knows he is wrong, all whilst being offered a job by a competitor.
And then there is the most anomalous character in the film, Dan Plum (Skyler Gisondo). Given the nickname “Decoy Dan” by Hansen, he is a twenty-three-year-old actor playing the thirteen-year-old honey trap for the stars of the show. But he is also the true victim of the show. An actor desperate to get his union card by receiving a full-name credit on a show, he is almost railroaded into performing entrapments that place him in emotionally difficult situations.
The other creative force whose hand is incredibly clear throughout is director Lance Oppenheim. A documentarian making his first narrative feature, based on a true story, he brings a documentary sensibility to the film. This creates some unique friction as his documentary neutrality clashes with the demands of narrative filmmaking. There is no overt messaging about morality here, but there are also no heroes and nothing that comes out of the process with any sort of shine. Something that might leave some viewers cold.
At times Primetime feels aimless. But it also feels like the most appropriate way to put the idea of reality TV to the sword. All whilst Robert Pattinson delivers the sort of performance that really singles him out as one of the best actors working right now.
