Lies

Writers Jim and Ken Wheat (PITCH BLACK) made their directorial debut with this back-shelf video palace gem, which registers as a cut above your average, ho-hum TV Movie-of-the-Week.

Appealing commercial and sitcom actress Ann Dusenberry (whom movie buffs may recognize as a teen menu entree in JAWS 2), plays, what else? A struggling actress who is invited to audition for the role of a lifetime. She jumps at the part of a doomed heiress who is locked in a struggle to hold on to the last strands of her sanity, before succumbing at last, resulting in her unfortunate suicide. Of course, if you've seen the similar and superior DEAD OF WINTER, you know where this story is headed.

Which is not an indictment of this movie by any means. The Wheat Brothers know how to create a suspenseful mood and to present sympathetic characters that we can be afraid for in the movie's more harrowing moments and plot twists, which are plentiful. What's notable about LIES is the opportunities it gives some veteran TV and film performers to cut loose in the kind of archetypal roles a lot of them literally created. Gail Strickland, Clu Gulager, ST.ELSEWHERE'S Terence Knox, Bruce Davison and the late, great Bert Remsen are among a seasoned cast who keep your interest piqued, even when the plot presents a few eyebrow-raising plot points.

The truth about LIES is that it's another good (if not great) little movie worthy of hunting down.