“Primetime,” directed by Lance Oppenheim (“You Can See Everything,” “Some Kind of Heave”), dramatizes the rise and fall of the Dateline NBC show, “To Catch a Predator.”

Robert Pattinson (“The Odyssey,” “Mickey 17”) stars as host Chris Hansen, Skyler Gisondo (“Superman,” “The Righteous Gemstones”) co-stars as Dan Plum or “Decoy Dan,” and Merritt Wever (“Christy,” “Marriage Story”) plays Andie Bender, the show’s producer.

“To Catch a Predator” was a series where Chris Hansen would collaborate with local police departments and the online watchdog group “Perverted Justice.” The watchdog group would have volunteers pose as minors online in order to catch adults who intend to meet them. The adults would then meet a decoy at a house, only to be later confronted by Chris Hansen, who would briefly interview the target and let them know they could leave. However, the police would then arrest the target.

The movie starts with Chris Hansen approaching an unsuspecting adult. Hansen appears almost as if he’s the predator, the way he descends on his target and takes pleasure in what he does. Pattinson’s depiction of Chris Hansen shows a smug edge when confronting predators.

While the show is a success, Chris Hansen’s home life is troubled. His relationship with his wife is strained, and he promises her that his success is for her and their two sons.

The perspective shifts to a young actor auditioning for a role. This is Dan Plum, looking for an acting gig. He knew his role was a teenage boy, but he didn’t know that he was a decoy in a sting operation. Andie Bender quickly coached him during the intense pre-production of “To Catch a Predator,” before putting him right in front of an alleged predator. While Dan attempted to fulfill his role as a child, the target exposed himself and covered himself in whipped cream before being caught by Chris Hansen.

Dan Plum was traumatized by the production, so Andie talked Chris into encouraging Dan to stay. Chris nicknamed him “Decoy Dan” over dinner.

Meanwhile, Chris was caught having an affair, which was then exposed to his wife. This led Chris Hansen to become obsessed with the show.

The film builds suspense when the head of Perverted Justice tells Andie they might be chatting with someone who has power and influence. However, the information he gave Andie was vague, and this target was at a different location than originally planned, so she decides to drop the investigation.

Desperate for ratings, Chris goes over Andie’s head and has the investigation continued. This leads to the target committing suicide before the confrontation, which results in the show’s cancellation. The man who was supposed to be confronted was the Texas District Attorney, Bill Conradt, who shot himself before he could be caught.

“Primetime” highlights the tension between exploitation and trying to catch predators. The show was profiting off child predators. And for there to be a show that profits, there needs to be predators who target children. In that way, the show’s existence is more dubious than noble. “Primetime” shows that the intention of “To Catch a Predator” is to shock viewers and up the ante.

The movie becomes less grounded after Chris Hansen’s break. This results in its focus being Chris Hansen’s declining mental state rather than the conflict within the production of “To Catch a Predator.” Though Robert Pattinson’s performance as Chris Hansen was entertaining, it and Hansen’s downfall should not overshadow the exploitative nature of shows like “Primetime.” As a result, “Primetime” seems to have no time to truly examine the issues it raises.

“Primetime” is currently playing in theaters and is rated R for disturbing sexual material, graphic nudity and violent content.