Lance Oppenheim’s “Primetime” is one of the most thought-provoking movies I’ve seen this year. It is impossible to avoid conversations spurred by the film if you use the internet. Fans of the film praise Robert Pattinson’s acting and the film’s commentary, although it also garnered harsh criticism for its portrayal of Chris Hansen. “Primetime” tells a distressing story of the sexual abuse that “To Catch A Predator” (TCAP) was trying to stop, and presents a critique of Hansen and NBC, calling into question whether the crew was safe.
“To Catch a Predator” was a show that aired between 2004- 2007 on NBC. Child predators were lured by activists from an organization named “Perverted Justice,” who hired adult actors called “decoys” to pose as teenagers. These decoys would lure child predators to houses where Chris Hansen would then confront them with their own chat logs, discuss their behavior and ask what sort of punishment they expected. The show worked through a three-party relationship between NBC, Perverted Justice and law enforcement.
Millions of fans laud Hansen as a hero. Hansen raised awareness of the use of the internet for sexual predation and got many child predators arrested.
The show, however, was not without its flaws. A 2007 NBC report revealed that after the suicide of Bill Conradt, a Texas DA refused to prosecute any of the child predators they caught during that investigation.
TCAP was criticized for its first two investigations. During these investigations, the TCAP crew did not have police stationed outside. Instead, they allowed the predator to leave and turned over all evidence to the police afterwards.
Besides posing a danger, as child predators were free to pursue more victims, this also led to an infamous double sting involving John Kennelly, who was released after the first sting, only to solicit another decoy under the same screen name and be caught again at a McDonalds, making it the only sting done in public.
The film presents Hansen as someone who is serious, self-obsessed and a bit delusional. He is shown numerous times practicing lines in front of the mirror and answering phone calls using lines from the show. The film makes Hansen to be more superstitious than he is in real life: his character believes he is cleansing an ancient monster, an analogy for child sexual abuse. The monster has nothing to do with the real show, and is supposed to represent how the director perceives Hansen’s psyche and thought process.
Many people will disagree with this portrayal. However, it does present an interesting thesis for the film. It takes someone who is a little crazy to go face to face with real child predators on camera, who are dangerous and could come armed. “Primetime” portrays Hansen as a predator against the predators, and the visual language and writing will make you believe this.
I reject the notion that “Primetime” is meant to make Hansen out as a villain, a view pushed by some outlets. The film is meant to show Hansen the way the director perceives him and invents a character that stands in for Hansen in order to criticize him through a personal lens. Oppenheim is trying to portray Hansen’s internal contradictions.
Hansen is someone with conflicting sides: a self-obsessed entertainer who carries all the baggage of being famous, but also someone with a genuine desire to uphold the law and morality and bring criminals to justice and protect children. Hansen the entertainer cares about beating TCAP’s competitor, “Lost,” (2004-2010) in ratings and staying on the air. Being no different from any other entertainer, he is obsessed with his appearances to an almost narcissistic degree. Hansen the predator catcher is someone wholly different; he is somebody with a firm idea of justice and a desire to put sexual predators where they belong.
These contradictions stand in the way of his goals and in the way of law enforcement. The consequences of these contradictions will culminate at the ending scene of the movie, which is based on an infamous true event.
The film’s version of Hansen is more similar to a comic book vigilante who has numerous internal contradictions, sometimes inappropriate methods of bringing criminals to justice, but always has a firm grasp on justice and a genuine desire to do good. The film recognizes Hansen’s good deeds and desire to do good, but still seeks to critique him to show him as he is, rather than a deified version of him.
The film also critiques the network and production of the show. Hansen’s producer throws a new decoy nicknamed “Decoy Dan” straight into a sexual and possibly dangerous situation without warning. Exploitation of the crew seems to be a recurring theme throughout the film, also symbolized by Decoy Dan trying to get his SAG card and not being represented by a union during his time on the show. This symbolism also creates a subtextual criticism about exploitation within the entertainment industry in general.
Hansen himself has criticized the film. According to Forbes Magazine, in a video interview he took after the movie he said: “It’s hard for me to — you know, obviously I’m not objective because the character is me, but it was so detached from reality or anything I’ve ever experienced, then or now, doing the investigations. I just think it’s — I’m not sure what the point of it was.”
I agree with Hansen here. Biopics often diverge from reality and “Primetime” is no different. The film is heavily intermixed with fiction. However, given the film’s subject matter and complexity, it would have been better to stick to the facts. For prospective watchers, it is better to approach the film as more of a historical fiction involving characters based on real people. What makes a good film and story does not necessarily make a good documentary.
Those who are sensitive to subjects of pedophilia and sexual exploitation should skip out on this film. It pushes the envelope for even rated-R films, featuring multiple scenes of full-frontal nudity. If the reader is interested in the content of this film, but doesn’t want to see nudity or hear explicit dialogue, they should instead read about the history of “To Catch a Predator” and its behind the scenes.
Those who are fans of “To Catch a Predator” or Robert Pattinson and can stomach such topics should absolutely watch “Primetime,” however. The film is excellent in a technical sense, and the story and the thesis are compelling; but its thesis is easily misunderstood and falls short in face of criticism. Rating: 3.5/5