Even on its own terms as a seedy thriller, Dangerous Lies fails spectacularly. I’m still wondering why Netflix chose “Dangerous Lies” when “Windfall” was right there. A young, poor married couple experience a mysterious windfall when the kindly old man (Elliott Gould) they care for suddenly dies. They have themselves and little else, so when the man leaves them a big house containing a stash of cash, diamonds, and much more, they carefully and not-so-carefully jump at the chance to live free of financial burden. But with all that dough and more, not to mention other nefarious happenings, it’s all a little suspicious. So a local detective, a lawyer, and a conniving real estate broker come calling, leading to a chain of events involving assorted criminals who want something or another in the big house that was left to them. It’s exactly what you’d expect, maybe less: a preposterous, convoluted soap opera riddled with plot holes, unlikable protagonists, and third act twists you can see coming an hour away. Gould is charming early on before his character kicks the bucket. After that, we’re left with Camilla Mendes and Jessie T. Usher, two actors ill-equipped to carry such a narrative.

Grade: D-

P.S. I haven’t seen Cam Gigandet since the camp MMA disasterpiece Never Back Down.