Dangerous Lies – Netflix Review (2/5)

DANGEROUS LIES is a new Netflix thriller starring Camila Mendes from Riverdale. This is a classic 90-minute thriller in most ways. A simple story full of the usual stereotypes and tropes. But is it entertaining?! Read our full Dangerous Lies review here!

Dangerous Lies is a new Netflix thriller. It stars Riverdale‘s Camila Mendes which is bound to draw in many viewers. The actual plot sounds like something you’ve seen many times before. And, in many ways, it is very familiar.

This new Netflix thriller is just over an hour and a half, so if you’re a fan of classic mystery thrillers (or just a fan of Camila Mendes), then you should definitely check it out. Just don’t expect to be surprised by the actual storyline.

Continue reading our Dangerous Lies review below to find out if this is a movie, you should add to your Netflix list.

The cast of this latest Netflix thriller

There can be no doubt that this Netflix thriller is all about Camila Mendes. I mean, even the promotional art has her name above the title. Good for her. And for Netflix, since it speaks volumes about knowing your audience. However, Camila Mendes from Riverdale obviously isn’t the only actor in Dangerous Lies.

Alongside her, we have Jessie T. Usher who you might recognize as “A-Train” from The Boys on Amazon’s Prime Video.

Other familiar faces include Cam Gigandet (Assimilate) and the wonderful face of Jamie Chung, who you might know from the Gotham TV series. We’ll see her again soon in the upcoming Lovecraft Country series by Jordan Peele and Misha Green.

Recommended reading: Our review of the Lovecraft-based Nicolas Cage movie Color Out of Space here >

Also, you’ll see Sasha Alexander (Rizzoli & Isles) and Elliott Gould (M.A.S.H., Contagion) as important supporting characters. Honestly, I always like these two in everything they do and this is no exception. Finally, there’s Garfield Wilson from Come to Daddy (2019) and Altered Carbon season 1 in a small role.

Nothing new in Dangerous Lies

There really is nothing new under the sun with the plot of Dangerous Lies. The characters seem familiar and you can probably guess most of what will unfold before it actually happens.

Then again, there has always been a huge market for these movies. You know, the kind of storyline where it’s okay to feel like you’ve seen it all before. And also, the kind where everything is somehow connected in exceedingly strange ways.

Sure, this Netflix thriller has some plot twists. However, if you’re familiar with most of the classic thriller plot twists, you won’t be surprised by any of them. In fact, you’ve probably guessed the entire plot a good while in advance.

Sure, there are some red herrings thrown in there for good measure. Still, this is also an integrated part of the classic TV movie thriller. Which is exactly what this feels like. 

Watch Dangerous Lies on Netflix now!

Michael Scott directed Dangerous Lies and David Golden wrote the screenplay. Previously, David Golden has written a lot of screenplays for movies in the Hallmark Christmas TV movie niche. After watching Dangerous Lies, this probably won’t come as a big surprise. In fact, it might explain some of the more stereotypical plot “twists” along the way.

Also, you probably won’t be surprised to find out that Michael Scott also directed a lot of movies in the romantic TV movie niche. Including several romantic Christmas movies. However, back in 2011 and 2012, Michael Scott did also direct four episodes of R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, so he is no stranger to genre productions either.

I suspect the real draw for Netflix is the fact that Camila Mendes is in Dangerous Lies and I’m sure many will watch this. It’s just unfortunate that it really isn’t very interesting. Is it entertaining? Not to me.

However, I recognize that most will probably enjoy this as mindless fun to take their minds off of everything else going on. To each their own, so enjoy it if you’re in the mood for something light that won’t really surprise much, then go ahead and check this out. Be warned though, the 90-minute runtime feels much longer than it actually is.

Dangerous Lies is out on Netflix from April 30, 2020.

Details

Director: Michael Scott
Writer: David Golden
Stars: Camila Mendes, Jessie T. Usher, Jamie Chung, Cam Gigandet, Sasha Alexander, Elliott Gould, Nick Purcha