This doc provocatively shows the good and bad side of the hit NBC show.

No, “Predators” is not a sequel to the “Predator” franchise, but it is an informative documentary about Dateline NBC’s program “To Catch a Predator,” which was dedicated to exposing and arresting child predators. I saw this movie virtually from the Sundance Film Festival last January, and even though I’ve never watched the show, I still think it raises important questions and shows us perspectives from the good guys and the bad guys.

For online predators, there would be someone from Perverted Justice (PJ) posing as a kid to lure them to the house, have a real kid open the door for them, and then Chris Hansen would pop by to ask the predator questions. That’s when the cameras and police come in.

While a majority of these men are irredeemable harden criminals, there are some who regret their decisions. But they still have to face their penalties. And given a society of moral judgement, it would be very difficult for them to move on or deal with people.

There’s also the suicide of Bill Conradt, who was a Texas assistant district attorney and one of the men soliciting a PJ volunteer. When he didn’t travel to the volunteer’s house, the S.W.A.T. swarmed his house, and that’s when Conradt pulled the trigger. His sister sued NBC, but it was settled out of court and none of the other men arrested in the sting were prosecuted.

There also have been civilians trying to take matters in their own hands, but not with Chris Hansen’s inspiration. They’re copycats, as the doc would like to refer to them as.

And even 18-year-olds have become predators. Some of them would be high school seniors fooling around with freshmen, and some would consider them to be “Romeo & Juliet” scenarios.

The director David Ost was abused by a child predator, and wanted to explore more about this show. He was able to learn about empathy in his journey. But the film also explores how the show exposes these predators as entertainment, which resulted in humiliation and lives being destroyed.

“Predators” is often thrilling, often sad, and often informative of what the show “To Catch a Predator” was going for and why it led to its cancellation. It represents how serious subjects can be exploited for entertainment value, and it deals with different perspectives from either the victims, the host, the law enforcers, and even the criminals.

In Select Theaters This Friday