True crime stories form a shoddy staple of TV movies. Lifetime’s “The Two Mr. Kissels” breaks with that tired tradition.

Produced with flair and acted with verve, the movie studies some reprehensible people and their shocking actions. Yet clever presentation keeps the movie, which premieres at 9 tonight, from wallowing in the evil.

A dead man narrates the action (a nod to “Sunset Blvd.”), and other characters address the camera in assessing the two villains.

TV veterans tackle their change-of-pace wickedness with gusto. John Stamos, who also produced the movie, plays Andrew Kissel, who lives in the shadow of skilled businessman brother Rob (Anson Mount). These actors do look like brothers.

Andrew spends wildly, steals from his neighbors, cheats on his wife, Haley (Gretchen Egolf), and lives by the credo “if I want something, I get it.”

Rob makes the devastating mistake of marrying Nancy (Robin Tunney), a narcissist who hangs nude portraits of herself in their home. Nancy does whatever she likes. She spends freely, takes up with the cable man and starts spiking her husband’s drinks.

Husbands in that position cannot ignore warnings about their wives. Rob does, and the story takes a horrendous turn that reveals her astonishing cruelty.

Tunney is a long way from “The Mentalist.” Stamos is galaxies away from “Full House” and “ER.” To their credit, the actors don’t stint on the characters’ pathetic and ugly selfishness.

“The Two Mr. Kissels” becomes a timely look at the limits of money. Director Ed Bianchi and writer Maria Nation make that point deftly. Their storytelling is fast-moving, sharp-edged and ultimately mysterious.

This handsome movie isn’t deep, but these evil-doers don’t require that treatment. “The Two Mr. Kissels” is a special case, a ripped-from-the-headlines movie that’s classy. It’s better than the villains deserved, but it’s what the viewers too often miss.

‘The Two Mr. Kissels’

When: 9 tonight

Where: Lifetime

Parents guide: Violence, drug use and sexual situations.