There are not many actors in this day and age who have the real pull of a movie star, at least as opposed to what existed back in the Hollywood Golden Age. We have some actors with a fair amount of draw, but many of them end up with a few duds in their filmography, due to not making the right decisions with the projects they choose. However, one such man who certainly evokes that similar Hollywood Golden Age energy is Robert Pattinson, a man who seems to be making every single addition to his filmography mean something. With the likes of Die My Love and Mickey 17 last year, to the blockbuster offerings of The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three, this is a man with a lot of range, and a lot of sense. He did not even agree to star in The Odyssey for Nolan without first seeing the script, which screams a man who has his head screwed on straight. When I heard he was due to star in Primetime, I did not even need to see anything about the film, because the fact that he was in it and playing another strange man was all I needed to get myself to that cinema. I know very little about Chris Hansen or To Catch a Predator, but I trusted Pattinson would deliver an unhinged performance as always, making it ultimately worth the watch, no matter how much I cared for anything else. I am happy to say that Pattinson is fantastic in Primetime, but the rest of the film is almost as sharp. Its scathing critique of Hansen’s murky vigilantism and his desperate craving for spectacle is delivered with a fair amount of bite. Even though there are a couple of lulls throughout its runtime, the thrill when this film goes into overdrive is unmatched. If you are going into this film for Pattinson, you will not be disappointed, and you also might find yourself being dragged headfirst into this intriguing, yet dark, side of modern media.

Primetime stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, an American TV presenter best known for his controversial To Catch a Predator show. The show consists of an actor pretending to be a child, acting as bait for a child predator and inviting them over to some place where that predator hopes they will get what they desire. As soon as they get to said place, Hansen dramatically enters, tells them to take a seat and flays them in front of the masses. Usually staying with the predator until the police arrive, Hansen proceeds to talk to them and read their own messages and phone call transcripts back to them, highlighting how disgusting and horrible they are. We are placed with Hansen and his crew at a point where his show’s popularity is surging, and NBC head Jeff Zucker invites Hansen in to chat. Even though he does not like the show himself, Zucker admits that it generates a real buzz with audiences and therefore is going to put it in the primetime slot. This is the time, usually late evening, when the most people are sat down watching TV and winding down after work. Zucker places Predator at odds with ABC’s Lost, which has already hooked audiences and will be a tough competitor. This forces Hansen to become obsessed with the spectacle he delivers, focusing on getting some big catches that will mean audiences cannot help but tune in. He enlists a new decoy actor, Dan (Skyler Gisondo), who is desperate to get an acting gig and does not quite know what he is in for. Hansen preps Dan with smaller catches, all with the goal of catching the elusive ‘whale’, a rumoured high-profile government worker whose capture would propel Predator to new levels of stardom and change the show forever.

Hansen delivers a lot of catchphrases throughout the film, many of which have already been memed and riffed on plenty on social media following this film’s release. But the main one that is so important to the film is ‘what would have happened if I wasn’t here?’ In just that single catchphrase, it encapsulates everything this film is about. Whether it’s Hansen’s belief that what he is doing is for the good of everyone, the encouragement from NBC to make the show bigger and better, or the grave consequences of the show on everyone involved, it all boils down to that one line, and it is echoed through the film thusly. It is an excellent throughline, and Lance Oppenheim has managed to portray it through all these aspects mentioned. From Oppenheim’s unique perspective as a documentarian, he manages to use that background to deliver us a fair helping of information, giving the audience what they need to work with to form their own opinion on this murky topic. Hansen’s vigilantism, and the work of ‘Perverted-Justice’, the organisation Hansen works with to find these predators, aims to help and expose those that would potentially be a threat. However, it is often used as a more preventative ritual rather than actually catching a predator that has committed crimes and flown under the radar. If Hansen hadn’t been there, as his catchphrase suggests, would these people have committed these crimes? It certainly is not a question that can be definitively answered, but the film carefully examines all aspects. Entrapment is one such aspect and definitely a valid way one could look at this, particularly because Hansen is grandstanding these stings on national television, acting like a knight in shining armour. Is he doing this show to deliver justice, or is he prompting these crimes to happen so he can capitalise on them? This argument is fleshed out well, and it is used effectively when relating to some of Hansen’s own personal problems too, highlighting his hypocrisy in the presence of the media. It is all very reminiscent of Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler (2014), albeit with a much more thorough thematic examination, as opposed to a full-on unhinged thriller. The way the film deals with how the decoys and even the predators feel about these stings is done in a nuanced and careful manner, without justifying their actions but still treating them like human beings. You could write an essay on how well these topics are dealt with in Primetime, as there are so many different sides to every element, and that is what makes it so interesting.

Even with the interesting ideas surrounding Primetime narratively and thematically, it helps that the film’s craft is almost as impressive. Though there are a few points during the second act that go over the same points again and do hamper the pacing, this is an otherwise great edit, with an engaging flow that will keep you thoroughly engaged, for the most part. It is all shot with a distinctly 2000s aesthetic, with a graininess to each shot that is very evocative of that pre-HD look. The 4:3 aspect ratio also contributes to that aesthetic immensely, offering a nostalgic glimpse at the time period, but also utilising it well in tandem with its content. There is almost an analogue-horror sort of feel to everything because of this, an eeriness that does not quit for the whole film. For me, this feels like a very deliberate cautionary tale that shows the dangers of performative media, the attention-grabbing craze of media companies and, in this day and age, people on social media. That 2000s aesthetic contributes to a freakish warning from the past towards us in 2026 that not everything needs to be made into media content. You see all this ‘rage-baiting’ and ‘clip-farming’ online, and that all feels like the progeny of this earlier world, and exactly what Oppenheim is alerting us to. I do not think it would work nearly as well without feeling so distinctly like a ghost from the past, and luckily it succeeds in that due to so much care towards how the film looks and feels to experience. Even outside the reasoning for its being, it just looks fabulous overall too, with some excellent lighting aiding some beautiful shots. As well as how it looks, Oppenheim also had the job of getting a performance out of his cast, and it must have been effortless with the calibre of talent on display. Pattinson is scarily good, and if he had not already cemented himself as one of the best actors working today, this does it. Skyler Gisondo is another standout as Decoy Dan, who portrays the conflict of wanting to make a name for himself but not feeling comfortable with the way he is doing it really well.

Primetime is another great film for Pattinson to add to his filmography, showing his range even more so than before. It is a film that certainly has a lot to say, and taking such a dark topic like this to make a film so full of interesting conversations is impressive. I do wish that during that second act, it got to the point a bit faster, as it did spin its wheels a bit too much, and it took me out of it for a bit. It is maybe something that will become a bit less noticeable with a rewatch, particularly due to the gravitas of the third act looming over, but it was noticeable. If they used some of that time to explore Hansen and his personal life a bit more, it would have kept it much fresher and offered a lot more variation beyond just seeing more stings that we already know the drill of. Nevertheless, when the rest of the film is as good as it is, it is hard to complain and this is still more than worthy of your time.