- Director: Lance Oppenheim
- Screenplay: Ajon Singh
- Based on: ‘Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die‘ by Luke Dittrich
- Producer: Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fred Berger, William Iannaccone, Robert Pattinson, Brighton McCloskey, Lars Knudsen, Ari Aster
- Cast: Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers
- Cinematography: David Bolen
- Editing: Daniel Garber
- Score: Ari Balouzian
- Genre: Psychological thriller
- Runtime: 109 minutes
For those unfamiliar with the work of Chris Hansen, he’s an American television presenter known for catching paedophiles in sting operations. His show, ‘To Catch a Predator‘, lured these unsavoury characters to a location through sordid online chats, with the predator believing they’re in communication with a minor. Using a decoy actor pretending to be the minor, the unsuspecting person becomes ensnared in a face-to-face encounter with Hansen before armed police arrive to arrest the individual. Millions watched this. They lapped it up.
Robert Pattinson is watchable as ever as Hansen while Merritt Wever is superb as his underappreciated producer. Skyler Gisondo is the standout actor in the film as the decoy, Dan Plumb. Dan is young and eager for work. He finds himself placed in an uncomfortable position. His love of musical theatre is useless when confronted with male genitalia in his first role as the decoy. Gisondo captures that sense of discomfort, not just that specific moment, but with the operation as a whole; the overwhelming guilt of playing a part in punishing these men so publicly.
‘Primetime‘ amplifies the qualities of an episode of ‘To Catch a Predator‘ – most notably the ghastliness of watching grown men willing to hook up with children. This uneasiness pollutes the environment behind the cameras. It’s not exactly happy-making stuff but none the crew seem too proud of themselves, their faces lit up by the blue glow of a screen. Aside from Hanson, yet that could be an act. “Nothing I do is acting.” he tells Dan. That’s where he’s wrong. Though the paedophiles are real people (and still human beings), the programme is performance art of a twisted variety. We see Hansen rehearsing the chatlog in a dressing room, learning his lines before he makes his grand entrance. The rooms the stings take place in are merely a stage and Dan’s routine consists of him, time and time again, inviting men into the decoy house, hanging around for a minute then leaving the room at which point Hansen takes charge of the situation.
Are they heroes for doing this? Ridding the streets of potential offenders? Or cashing in on the creation of a televised humilitation ritual? A sting involving a rabbi rattles Hansen; the former accusing him of not having permission to do what they’re doing. Yet Hansen continues shamelessly, determined to be a ratings hit and bigger than ‘Lost‘. What he has indeed lost is nobility. Here is a man who’s put himself on a pedestal, telling himself he’s doing the right thing while cheating on his wife. Not with anyone underage, sure, but you can’t be the epitome of truth on air and betray people when the cameras stop rolling.
Exploitation is entertainment. The sicker the perverts, the higher the viewing figures. The “best of the best” Hansen says – really the worst of the worst. Ramping up the degeneracy will see a rise in ratings. That says a lot about our reality television-obsessed culture, even more so twenty years on; we crave the manipulation and the embarrassment of strangers. The desire to catch someone prominent drives Hansen forward. And he and his team do so, initiating a sting involving a district attorney, Bill Conradt. Based on true events, things don’t go to plan and Conradt takes his own life. I’m surprised an occurrence like this didn’t happen more frequently. A life lost. A preventable death. Unrealised justice. Who’s the real monster?
An unpleasant subject matter but excellently executed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative film directorial debut.
My rating: 8 / 10
