“Primetime,” a thriller film inspired by Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator,” hit theaters September 25. The movie follows Chris Hansen, played by Robert Pattinson, and Dan Plum, played by Skyler Gisondo, as they navigate the dangerous and bizarre events behind the cultural icon “To Catch a Predator.”

“To Catch a Predator,” a NBC reality show that spanned from 2004 to 2007, is placed on primetime television in competition with Survivor. Hanson is thrilled by the news and shortly after, their new decoy, Plum, is thrust into the ugliest side of the production.

Spoiler Warning

Throughout the movie, we see “To Catch a Predator” and its production through the lens of Hansen and Plum. 

To Hanson, this is his big break, his chance to do something that matters. But Hansen isn’t the vigilante of justice that he presents himself to be. 

Throughout the movie, he is suffering the fallout from cheating on his wife. He degrades and manipulates his team to achieve and justify his own means.

Plum, however, joins the show as an actor, not due to an obsession with justice or ambition. His goal is simple: to use the show as a means to further his career. His resolve is tested, however, as he is put in more and more uncomfortable and dangerous situations, and each time, Hanson convinces him to go further.

Hansen’s team then discovers the “whale,” a predator much more careful than any others and who the team believes to have some political power. Hansen is reluctant to give chase, but with pictures of his affair floating throughout the industry and primetime television at stake, he gives in.

Hansen’s affair and the pressure of the show begin to take a toll on him. At the start of the movie, especially around the predators, Hansen is this icon of authority. These are bad people, and the first one we see grovels at his feet after just a few words. As the movie progresses, this is no longer the case.

A predator grabs him by the wrist, challenging Hansen. He then breaks down when the “whale” seems to have made an escape, leading to Plum taking over the show for an episode.

It all comes to a boiling point when they are finally able to track the “whale” down: Bill Conradt. A Texas prosecutor who served as the district attorney for Kaufman County, Bill is shown as extremely cautious and hopelessly addicted, unlike many of the other predators on the show who are portrayed as little more than sick idiots.

A sting operation is launched to arrest Bill. Knowing that it’s over, Bill speaks with Plum. Plum comforts the man. It’s the only moment in the movie where the men they are chasing are ever treated as more than props for the show. Meanwhile, Hansen asks his famous question, “What would have happened if I hadn’t been here?” as Bill takes his own life.

Ethics of “To Catch a Predator”

The movie presents the “guests” on Hansen’s show as props. To the production crew, they are just set pieces. We see them go over the profiles of potential “guests” and select the sickest (AKA the most interesting) ones they can find.

This raises ethical questions for the viewer. The show puts pedophiles on display for entertainment. At what point do they go from being evil humans to interesting props? Did the show desensitize the subject?

The movie raises these questions but answers none. To some, being humiliated and exposed to the world is the justice that these men deserved. Others may argue that an evil person is still a person. Or maybe even the idea of using absolute evil like pedophilia as entertainment was already too far, regardless of the “guest.”

My (and Hansen’s) Thoughts

I personally found the movie extremely entertaining and thought-provoking. “To Catch a Predator” is a cultural phenomenon despite its short run, and its nature makes it easy to forget what it actually was, a reality television show with a flawed host. 

I loved the way the movie built tension throughout the story, Chris Hansen is introduced as an ultimate authority figure bringing a predator to his knees with words alone. This persona is then ripped away, because behind closed doors he is almost never in control.

 It presents Hansen’s hypocrisy and ambition instead of just painting him as the hero. In an incredible scene, Hansen has to come clean to Andie Bender, his producer, about his affair. When asked how old his mistress was, Hansen says she’s 30, insulted. Bender simply replies “Bravo.”

However, my love of the movie is not shared. The most notable critique of the film is Chris Hansen himself.

“It has about as much connection to my work as a Scooby-Doo cartoon movie,” Hansen said in a Fox News interview. “I think it’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who tried to protect children from predators.”

This review still leaves out key details, characters, and moments from the movie, and if you are at all interested in the story of “To Catch a Predator,” then… Why don’t you take a seat?

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