Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime is a deliciously gritty affair - brimming with venomous dialogue and cerebral performances that’ll burrow deep under your skin and stay there. Yep, it turns out Robert Pattinson makes for the perfect Chris Hansen. Not only does he nail the voice and look, but he gives Hansen a real magnetism, tapping into the attractive charisma that made the real-life host such a compelling television presence. There’s an almost hypnotic quality to Pattinson’s performance. Now, to be sure, the film takes plenty of creative liberties. And, I can certainly see why the real Chris Hansen may not be overly enthralled with this depiction. Here, he’s portrayed as overly performative, power-hungry and, in many ways, incredibly desperate. But that’s also what makes Pattinson’s performance so fascinating. There are a lot of layers here, and he’s very much up for the task - playing Hansen as someone who knows exactly how to command a room while also revealing just how badly he needs the room, and those around him, to keep watching. But as great as Robert is, the real surprise here is Skyler Gisondo. He absolutely steals the show as Dan, a wannabe serious actor who becomes one of the show’s important decoys. Like Pattinson, Gisondo commits completely to the bit - the voice, the mannerisms, the awkwardness and, yes, the desperation. There’s something simultaneously hilarious and deeply uncomfortable about watching Dan throw himself into this bizarre performance, particularly as his own ambitions and insecurities begin to bleed into the role he’s playing. Gisondo brings an incredible amount of nuance to what could have easily been a one-note part. And beyond the performances, Primetime has a very specific look and feel that works in its favor. It’s all kind of “dirty” - in the best possible way. You see, it’s reminiscent of late-’90s and early-2000s cable television, grainy surveillance footage and the slightly grimy aesthetic of reality TV before everything became polished within an inch of its life. The visual style feels almost invasive, as though we’re watching something we probably shouldn’t be watching. And, of course, that only feeds directly into the narrative at play. And what a fascinating narrative it is. The movie examines the rise - and ultimate fall - of the television obsession that was To Catch a Predator, while asking some pretty uncomfortable questions along the way. Where does justice end and entertainment begin? What happens when the commercialization of justice becomes part of the appeal? Ultimately, Primetime isn’t just asking us to look at Chris Hansen, the show, or the people caught in its web. It’s asking us to look at the audience — and our own appetite for this kind of television. Because beneath all the outrageous dialogue, great performances and grimy aesthetics, there’s a pretty pointed question at the heart of the movie: “You see how this looks, right?”