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ReviewVenice 2026: Primetime movie review – Robert Pattinson catches predators in blunted satire
Robert Pattinson plays a fictional version of TV producer and paedophile hunter Chris Hansen in this drama that lacks substance
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3/5 stars
The latest entry in the journalism movie category that includes the likes of Network, Nightcrawler, Shattered Glass and Spotlight, Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime turns the lens on Dateline NBC, the US news magazine show, and in particular the work of Chris Hansen, the presenter of To Catch a Predator – a disturbing segment that began in 2004.
The show aimed to sniff out and expose internet paedophiles who attempted to lure underage children into meeting them.
Played with oil-slick excellence by Robert Pattinson – who also serves as a producer – Hansen is a suited-and-booted showman who steps in once predators are caught on camera with a decoy.
“What you’re doing matters,” a fellow plane passenger tells him. But in truth, he seems to care little about keeping the streets free of deviancy and is simply out to win the ratings war.
Premiering in competition at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, the film sways between Hansen and Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo), a 23-year-old would-be actor whose babyish looks make him ideal bait.
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