Venice Review: Robert Pattinson Drama 'Primetime' Struggles to Define Its Message on Predator-Hunting TV Show

A new drama-thriller starring Robert Pattinson and directed by documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim has premiered at the Venice Film Festival, drawing a critical assessment from The Guardian that describes the film as "overwrought and heavy-footed" despite its stylized noir atmosphere.

The film, reviewed under the title Primetime, dramatizes the controversial American reality television series To Catch a Predator, which aired from 2004 to 2008. According to the review, the show's title was derived from the Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief, itself inspired by the phrase "set a thief to catch a thief."

The review outlines the show's format: researchers posed as children in online chatrooms to bait individuals suspected of predatory intentions, luring them to so-called "sting houses." There, actors playing underage teens would greet the men at the front porch to draw them inside, where hidden cameras captured them expressing what the review describes as criminal intentions.

Per the review, host Chris Hansen would then confront the men, an encounter the piece calls "fantastic television." Following these confrontations, police made arrests, with law enforcement and prosecutors handling due process afterward, the review notes.

The Guardian's review states that the film raises questions about media ethics and morality surrounding the show's methods but does not appear to directly address the issue of entrapment, despite the review calling it an "obvious issue."

According to the review, the film marks Oppenheim's feature debut after establishing himself as an acclaimed documentary-maker. The review characterizes the movie as uncertain in its overall message, stating it "isn't at all sure what it wants to say."