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 perf... read the rest.