Chris Hansen made television history with To Catch a Predator, in which he performed sting operations with the purpose of exposing child molesters. Nonetheless, it’s worth asking: did it even matter if the people whom he humiliated on national television were actually predators? The answer doesn’t matter, especially when the manner in which it was presented to audiences of millions would mean that your eyes were glued to the television. This is the kind of person that we’re observing in Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, which purports a critical reexamination of the legacy that Chris Hansen had left behind.
Portraying Chris Hansen is Robert Pattinson, who commands the screen with relative ease, first from Hansen’s posturing over the people whom his show has targeted over the years, if the film’s opening were any indicator. In this scene, one of these sting operations is underway, with Del Harvey (Phoebe Bridgers) serving as a decoy in order to lure a predator out into the open. Later, the aspiring actor Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo) is hired to be another decoy. With consideration for the lives of people who could easily be exposed to danger by being out in the open with a sex offender, the kind of picture that Primetime paints of Hansen is hardly flattering. Yet, Oppenheim operates with an understanding of why this kind of television was so compelling from the start.
Appropriately, Primetime is not approached as a conventional biopic, but wrestles with the perception of Hansen’s public persona. Pattinson’s performance of Chris Hansen nails the vocal tone, down to a certain smugness coming from Hansen’s signature phrase “You see how this looks, right?” Accuracy is hardly a point of concern for Lance Oppenheim, but the image that everyone will make of Hansenis given the spotlight. Throughout the film, Hansen sought for To Catch a Predator to be the most popular television show of the network, as he believed that the work he was doing was important. From here, it’s also how he ends up drowning out any sense of rationale, exploiting the very real danger in child sexual abuse to prop up his own ego, and even neglecting his family in that process.
The way Lance Oppenheim shoots every moment has a pulse-pounding effect, and the assignment is clear. There’s no script, and the traps have been laid out for every predator to fall in. Where the film succeeds, we sense that a great thriller is made from trying to capture a target when they’re vulnerable. Moments like this get you into Chris Hansen’s mindset perfectly, especially when you know that someone like him is following the money. Every minute of it is compelling, which is exactly what Chris Hansen wanted you to believe when he caught his prey on live television. Everyone, but particularly the decoys, is exposed to possible danger when sharing the same space as Hansen’s targets. All these recreations of To Catch a Predator are impressive, given that they’re allowing another perspective into the media landscape of the time from today’s lenses.
This type of commentary doesn’t really strike as anything new, given as the desire for high ratings was satirized in Sidney Lumet’s Network. By taking on the sensational nature of Hansen’s vigilantism, Primetime doesn’t strike hard enough. In one scene, a decoy chastises Hansen for selling merchandise in bad taste. Knowing that A24 has made merchandise related to this film, Primetime also runs that risk of profiteering from the same real danger which Hansen supposedly fought against; and even its criticisms of Hansen’s work ethos feel hypocritical. It’s unsurprising that Hansen’s opinion of the film is not an enthusiastic one, but it’s not for the same reasons where Primetime would fail. He’s unhappy that there aren’t many nice things being said about his work ethic in here, but it seems that also comes with convincing yourself you are a public hero.
Whatever Chris Hansen thinks of Primetime ultimately means nothing though, because he’s a narcissist who deluded himself into believing he’s a savior. Many people will blindly follow under the guise that he actually exposed pedophiles. The reality is that he didn’t care whether or not they were pedophiles, but he would present these people as such to perpetuate a fantasy. Primetime lives in that delusion, and as a study of a narcissist being fed fame, it’s a success. It’s not quite the definitive portrait of Chris Hansen — that’d be the documentary Predators. Despite this lack of specificity, Primetime is undoubtedly entertaining, but given the real people that Hansen exploited for his own gain, it probably should have gone harder on him.
Watch the trailer right here.
All images via A24.
Directed by Lance Oppenheim
Screenplay by Ajon Singh, from the Esquire article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die” by Luke Dittrich
Produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fred Berger, William Iannaccone, Robert Pattinson, Brighton McCloskey, Lars Knudsen, Ari Aster
Starring Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers
Premiere Date: September 5, 2026 (Venice)
Running Time: 106 minutes
Other Writers Say…
Nathan Sherwood
If you’re looking for a film that’s straight facts and not an overly dramatic recreation, Primetime isn’t the film for you. Robert Pattinson and Skylar Gisondo shine as Chris Hansen and aspiring actor Dan Plum. Even if the momentum begins to slow down once the third act begins, it’s the engaging performances of the duo that keep you hooked throughout the film.
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