Prime Time (2021)

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I can’t recall the last Russian film I saw or even if Prime Time is the very first. Regardless of that, the straightforward premise is interesting from the get-go, and it doesn’t waste any time, putting the viewers inside the action almost instantly. The initially suspenseful, tense atmosphere gradually becomes lighter and less threatening as the characters interpreted by Bartosz Bielenia, Magdalena Popławska, and Andrzej Kłak begin to understand each other. At first, this makes the hijacker and the hostages incredibly intriguing characters since the viewers still don’t know anything about them.

Unfortunately, as time goes by, little do the viewers end up actually discovering about them. Sebastian gets a decent development that helps the viewers anticipate the last few minutes, but it still falls short of what’s necessary for a supposedly nerve-wracking thriller. The TV presenter lacks depth and the security guard barely even speaks, turning the viewers’ possible connection to the characters very hard to achieve. The bond that these characters create is so mysterious and seemingly unjustified that it just makes the predictably underwhelming ending even worse.

The social commentary is explicit, and I do quite like its message - too attached to the ending, I would spoil it - but it’s the deficient storytelling that takes the viewers and the characters through a rollercoaster missing crazy loops and adrenaline-fueled falls. Jakub Piątek’s direction shows hints of his talent, but it lacks energy. Finally, his screenplay co-written with Łukasz Czapski holds an attention-grabbing premise and an exciting first act, but just like every other component, it loses gas quite quickly, culminating in an emotionally unimpactful yet somewhat fitting climax.

Prime Time boasts an intriguing premise and an extremely engaging first act, but it loses this initial energy as time runs by, ending with a predictably fitting yet underwhelming final act. Despite the good performances from the cast, Jakub Piątek and Łukasz Czapski’s screenplay places the three characters at the center of the story, but they lack compelling and more in-depth development, making it challenging for the viewers to establish any sort of connection with the protagonist(s). Its message is more than clear, and it’s quite satisfying, especially considering it indirectly builds that final moment. However, the path that the viewers need to walk to get there might not be as entertaining and thrilling as one would expect.

Rating: C+

Director Jakub Piatek chooses to take the conventional approach in his hostage thriller “Prime Time,” a formulaic and disappointing effort that presents nothing unique nor exciting. Set on New Year’s Eve 1999, the film tells the story of disturbed young man Sebastian (Bartosz Bielenia), who hijacks a television studio and takes a famous game show host (Magdalena Poplawska) and a security guard hostage. Much like its lead character, the film doesn’t seem have a plan of where it wants to go or how it wants to get there.

Bielenia is well-cast as the mentally unbalanced gunman, turning in a performance that’s distressing and sad. When it’s revealed that Sebastian has been facing bullying and ridicule at the hands of his own father, the anger and fear that I felt towards the character turned to pity. That’s not enough of a driving motivation for the character, however, and that there is no eventual reveal as to the reason Sebastian did what he did is a letdown. He has a message he wants to deliver, but we never learn what it is or to whom it is directed.

Other elements took me completely out of the film as well, including the stupid ways the characters react to the hostage situation. The police are incompetent, and there are so many things they could do to diffuse the situation and end it quickly, but they don’t. It’s ridiculous some of the actions (and non-actions) the characters take here.

The extremely slow story eventually picks up, but only in the film’s last half hour, which makes it far too late for “Prime Time” to salvage all that came before.