Robert Pattinson Captures Sinister Media Shift in 'Primetime'

Lance Oppenheim's directorial debut, "Primetime," delves into a morally complex period of media history, focusing on Chris Hansen's "Dateline NBC" series "To Catch a Predator." The film, starring Robert Pattinson as Hansen, scrutinizes the moment when television became a powerful arbiter of public justice, often with devastating consequences for its subjects.

Pattinson portrays Hansen with a "malicious precision," embodying a new kind of media power. The film opens with Hansen confronting a man lured to meet a supposed underage girl. Hansen's pronouncement that the man's fate lies with "Dateline NBC" elicits "utter horror." The casting of Tony Revolori, known for his more gentle roles, hints at the film's critical perspective, echoing critic Charlie Brooker's observation that a show eliciting sympathy for potential child molesters is inherently problematic.

"Primetime" centers on a "sinister shift in the media landscape" of the early 2000s. Jeff Zucker, then a NBC Universal executive, plays himself and acknowledges the show's popularity despite his personal reservations, placing it in primetime opposite ABC's "Lost" to boost ratings. The film evokes a tone similar to Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler," exploring the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality of television news.

The film, written by Ajon Singh, portrays the era's "dated '00s aspirations" of ambitious journalists chasing ratings and individuals drawn into the morally ambiguous world of online stings. Oppenheim, whose background is in documentary filmmaking, avoids a strong dramatic arc or deep character studies, focusing instead on the two-dimensional nature of screens and their capacity to "wreck lives, warranted or not."

Pattinson's performance is central to the film's impact. His Hansen is an "anxious adjudicator" whose pursuit of larger "whales" reveals his own growing hypocrisy, especially as a National Enquirer reporter pursues an exposé on him. The film suggests that Hansen's vilification of his subjects is mirrored within himself, as he quotes lurid chat room exchanges with a degree of relish. The film concludes with Hansen's observation: "There used to be a pillory in every village. Now, there's a television in every living room."

Despite a "predetermined drama" with few surprises, the film is lauded for its vivid realization of the period and the strength of its performances. Merritt Wever as the "casually good" producer Andie Bender and Phoebe Bridgers in her first major film role as a decoy are highlighted. The film is rated R for disturbing sexual material, graphic nudity, language, and some violent content, with a running time of 110 minutes. It received two and a half stars out of four.