Documentarian Lance Oppenheim makes his narrative feature directorial debut with “Primetime”, a biographical drama / psychological thriller hybrid that gives its star Robert Pattinson what should be some of the meatiest material of his already impressive career. Pattinson plays Chris Hansen, the real-life television journalist who for three years hosted a popular Dateline NBC segment titled “To Catch a Predator”. The respected yet controversial segment featured sting operations designed to catch potential online child predators.

Hansen has been highly critical of Oppenheim’s film, calling it an “insult”, “bizarre”, and “detached from reality”. Hansen views “Primetime” as an exploitative misrepresentation of him and an affront to the team who worked alongside him. Hansen points out that he was never consulted by the filmmakers, who took his story and turned it into a horror-tinged gonzo thriller rather than an accurate portrayal of his work. From Hansen’s personal perspective, it’s an understandable frustration.

But from an entertainment perspective, “Primetime” never resonates as strongly as it should. A big reason is its lack of focus. Oppenheim and screenwriter Ajon Singh admirably avoid the standard biopic formula. Instead they shoot for something hyper-stylized and often amped up to ridiculous levels. And rather than concentrating on its main story, the movie sometimes veers off into other directions, following supporting characters down thinly sketched side roads that never go anywhere.

Singh’s script is an adaptation of Luke Dittrich’s 2007 article for Esquire magazine titled “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die”. The piece detailed the botched sting operation during the filming of “To Catch a Predator” which led to the suicide of assistant district attorney Bill Conradt. But Singh and Oppenheim take their time getting to that point. Instead, most of their film is spent piecing together a congested backstory bathed in film grain and neon lighting.

Pattinson fully submerges himself into this version of Chris Hansen. From his icy calm voice to his slithering mannerisms, the darkly magnetic actor embodies Oppenheim’s vision of Hansen as ratings-driven sociopath. The film follows Hansen and his production team as they lure child predators from online chat rooms to bait houses. Once there, adult decoys posing as children set the table for Chris, who confronts them with a full camera crew before handing them over to the police.

Chris’ successes are enough to get him a spot on Dateline NBC. His ambition only rises from there, driving him to push what is perceived as a noble cause into morally murky territory. His craving for notoriety drowns out any sense of conviction. And his festering narcissism puts him at odds with his loyal staff that includes his ruthless producer Andie (a terrific Merritt Wever) and a naive aspiring actor Dan (Skyler Gisondo) who is hired as Chris’ newest decoy.

As Chris’ self-obsession intensifies, it sends his professional and personal lives careening out of control. He begins crossing lines that go beyond just moral ambiguity. And he puts himself and his team in an untenable situation. It’s here that the film’s overbearing style and scattershot storytelling kicks into another gear. So much effort is put into the fever dream visuals and being luridly provocative that the story is ineffectual and the intentions behind it obscured.

If anything, “Primetime” comes across as a movie far more interested in tabloid television than investigative journalism. In fact, it offers a much more critical indictment of personalities like Chris Hansen than the vile pedophiles he targets. As for Pattinson, he is fascinating to watch. But there is a theatrical element to his performance that was hard for me to shake. It can be equally tough making sense of his character’s mindset. But most of all, it’s difficult to connect with Pattinson’s character on a human level. And for me, the same can be said for the movie as a whole.

VERDICT – 2 STARS