‘Primetime’ review: Robert Pattinson dazzles in ‘To Catch a Predator’ drama

Movie review

“Help me understand.” 

These three words, robotically delivered dozens of times in “To Catch a Predator,” the infamous American reality TV series hosted by Chris Hansen, were not ones he actually meant. Not really. Hansen, a former journalist who became utterly subsumed by the grim television spectacles he created, never truly cared to hear answers to any of the questions he asked. Instead, like the predatory men he often sat across from, he was there to use others for his own purposes.

In “Primetime,” the slick and sickening narrative feature debut from director Lance Oppenheim, we’re invited to sit down with Hansen in order to begin to understand what made him tick. He is the man behind the curtain, the one pulling all the strings, who we see played in his early days by former “Twilight” actor Robert Pattinson as an unrelentingly obsessive sicko of a man whose many contradictions are already threatening to consume him. Everything from his voice, which Pattinson captures with uncanny, chilling accuracy, to the claustrophobic way he is shot by cinematographer David Bolen ensures every moment with him makes your skin crawl. On a technical and performance level, you’d be hard-pressed to find a film this year as adept at taking the internal psychopathy of its fraught subject and externalizing it as “Primetime” does. 

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And yet, despite these many strengths, there’s also an unshakable sense that the film, written by Ajon Singh in his feature writing debut, never cuts as deep as it should — and it increasingly feels trapped in a psychological cage of its own creation. It’s an experience that initially proves consuming, as every moment with Pattinson’s Hansen keeps you on edge, before it starts to feel oddly narrow. As it takes us through the rise of “To Catch a Predator” through to its eventual sordid low point, it offers plenty of effective scenes in isolation. But cumulatively, it leaves a lingering feeling that there was more to explore here. Even as it gets more heightened, drawing evocative parallels between Hansen’s show and a country that was hungering for punitive entertainment, it still ends up stumbling about in search of something greater. 

What saves the experience, in addition to Pattinson proving absolutely frightening, is that it boasts great supporting performances across the board. Merritt Wever as Hansen’s dedicated producer Andie, who really should be putting her skills to better use, is a key counterbalance to him. While Hansen is the face of the show, she’s the one who ensures that the production holds together, serving as a haunting reminder of how many people can be responsible for propping up one man’s megalomania. Also excellent is Skyler Gisondo as Dan, the aspiring actor hired to be a decoy to lure in the predators without a care given to his mental state, as he captures both the earnestness and pain of his character. Even a brief turn by Washington actor Eric Rahill — a true comedic genius with subtle dramatic chops — as Dan’s friend Troy provides brief yet critical moments of clarity that tragically all go unheard. 

While you still ultimately feel plenty of tragedy and terror in “Primetime,” the biggest takeaway to Oppenheim’s film is that the definitive look at the legacy of “To Catch a Predator” still remains the David Osit documentary “Predators.” Not only did Osit get closer to the broader impacts of the show and what it represents about all of us, he also confronted the deception at the core of Hansen saying “help me understand” when he never meant it. There remain plenty of limitations to that film, but in a way that it grapples with. “Primetime” not only frequently falls prey to its limitations, but it seems nervous to push against them. 

Still, with its wide array of talented stars acting at the top of their game and a maximalist, mesmerizing visual style, it is a film that will likely become more popular than “Predators.” However, if there’s anything a work about “To Catch a Predator” should realize, it’s that there can be more value to things than mere entertainment.

'Primetime' ★★½ (out of four)
With Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher, Phoebe Bridgers, Bokeem Woodbine. Directed by Lance Oppenheim, from a screenplay by Ajon Singh. 110 minutes. Rated R for disturbing sexual material, graphic nudity, some violent content and language. Opens Sept. 24 at multiple theaters.