Primetime
In the early 2000s, the tv landscape changed. As cable began to catch up to the broadcast networks, with freedom away from FCC content standards, traditional scripted shows started to wane in popularity, replaced by “reality” shows. It seemed that viewers were drawn to something purporting to be authentic (it helped that these programs are much cheaper to produce). Into this environment came NBC’s To Catch a Predator. This was a show designed to expose men seeking to have sex with a minor. Hosted by Chris Hansen, it began life as a series of segments on Dateline. Eventually, viewership rose enough to warrant a spot in primetime. That run lasted three years, concluding after one of their targets took his own life on camera.
To this day, Chris Hansen sees the show’s mission as a benevolent one. Based on the 2007 Esquire article “Tonight on Dateline: This Man Will Die” by Luke Dittrich, the drama Primetime views Predator through the lens of exploitation. It sees Hansen as an opportunist who used the pursuit of justice for selfish reasons. It twists this story into a disturbing thriller, centered on Hansen’s need to be a star. The screenplay, by Ajon Singh, doesn’t see these people as heroes. Sure, they participated in the arrest of some bad guys, but it was all in the name of higher ratings.
Primetime (102 minutes, minus the end credits) spends little time with the titular predators. We never find out who they were, their backstories or what happened to them following their appearances. Their usefulness is as tools to help the show, especially Hansen, garner additional buzz. This is barely even about Hansen, though he definitely has the most screentime. Rather, it is about a moment in our culture that brought on the explosion of true crime documentaries and podcasts of the last several years. The makers of Primetime certainly don’t believe this is an overall positive. This is a tense and moody portrayal, with Robert Pattinson giving a tremendous brooding performance as a self-absorbed man who doesn’t give a thought to who he could possibly be hurting, as long as he stays famous.
It is 2004 and reporter turned correspondent Chris Hansen has found his niche hosting To Catch a Predator. When NBC decides to put it on Wednesday nights, head-to-head with ABC’s hit mystery Lost, they must figure out how to trap headline-grabbing targets. They need something truly disturbing. Hansen’s relentless quest for his “whale” consumes everything in his path.
While Pattinson’s Hansen haunts every scene like a demon, it is two other, more human, characters who really get the concept across. First is Hansen’s producer, Andie, played by Merritt Wever as a woman who likes to think she has a strong moral compass. She is very good at her job, pushing back when something seems too risky. However, by the end, her concerns are revealed as being about her own success. She isn’t as different from Hansen as she initially seems.
The second, and perhaps more upsetting, is Dan, an aspiring actor hired to portray a thirteen-year-old boy in their sting operations. Skyler Gisondo plays him as naïve, looking for his break so he can get his SAG card. Seeing his innocence gradually erode as he starts to mimic the examples of ruthlessness in front of him turns this into a kind of horror movie.
The narrative debut of documentarian Lance Oppenheim, Primetime is ambitious, making this about themes, instead of story. It takes elements of reality, using them to explore ideas of evil, darkness and manipulation. Were the creators of To Catch a Predator merely using public fears to manufacture a hit? Did Chris Hansen care about anything other than his own celebrity? Did the show ultimately do more harm than good? The answers according to this movie are yes, no and yes.
It is a difficult, uncomfortable watch, that is compelling, uncompromising and has very strong performances. Chris Hansen’s criticisms of the movie have initiated a controversy that is going to draw more attention to it. It will be interesting to see what mainstream audiences think of something that essentially holds the American public complicit in the damage true crime media causes, exploiting sickness for voyeuristic thrills. It is a bold swing that is very engaging when it connects.
3½ out of 5
Cast:
Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen
Skyler Gisondo as Dan Plumb
Merritt Wever as Andie Bender
Matthew Maher as Xavier Von Erck
Phoebe Bridgers as Del
Directed by Lance Oppenheim
Written by Ajon Singh
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