10 Movies Like A Widow's Game You Must See

‘A Widow’s Game’ chronicles the investigation into a dead body found in a parking lot in Valencia, Spain, in 2017. The victim, Arturo Ferrer Puig, was married to María Jesús “Maje” Moreno (Ivana Baquero) for less than a year. The latter is found visibly distraught by veteran homicide detective Eva Torres (Carmen Machi), who pursues the case. However, she soon realises that there is more to the widow than meets the eye, as she has apparently been seeing multiple men all the time.

Originally titled ‘La viuda negra,’ the Spanish mystery crime drama is directed by Carlos Sedes for streaming on Netflix. The narrative quickly shifts pace from a whodunnit story to the intriguing tale of the escapades of the young “widow,” keeping the plot taut and engaging with well-placed twists. If the film has managed to pique your interest, the following curated list of movies similar to ‘A Widow’s Game’ is perfect for you to dive straight into.

10. Double Jeopardy (1999)

‘Double Jeopardy’ tells the story of Libby Parsons (Ashley Judd), who lives a life of affluence with her husband Nick (Bruce Greenwood) and their son Matty (Spencer Treat Clark). The couple decides to go sailing for a romantic weekend getaway, keeping Matty with Libb’s friend Angela (Annabeth Gish), but things go south from there. Waking up on the boat holding a knife and covered in blood, Libby finds Nick missing. The Coast Guard arrives to arrest her for murdering her husband, but Libby soon finds out she has been framed and sets out on a path of revenge. The wife being accused of killing her husband in the Bruce Beresford directorial bears similarity with how the plot progresses in ‘A Widow’s Game.’

9. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)

‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ by Curtis Hanson revolves around Peyton Flanders (Rebecca De Mornay), a babysitter who gets employed by the Bartel family. Claire (Annabella Sciorra) and Michael (Matt McCoy) have an infant son and a young daughter, who quickly take to the bright and cheerful demeanor of the new nanny. However, as the days pass, the couple realizes Peyton has a sinister reason for seeking employment at their home. Peyton showing her true colors after first appearing as a simple and harmless young woman brings to mind the transformation of Maje’s character as seen in ‘A Widow’s Game.’

8. The Stranger Beside Me (2003)

An adaptation of Ann Rule’s book of the same name, ‘The Stranger Beside Me’ shares an account of the narrator’s (Barbara Hershey) friendship with infamous real-life serial killer Ted Bundy (Billy Campbell). The two were colleagues at a crisis center before details of Ted’s activities became public. In the film, Ann follows Ted around in regular endeavors, having no idea of the grave danger she is placing herself in. The made-for-television film by Paul Shapiro appears to gender-reverse the roles in ‘A Widow’s Story,’ with Ted being the duplicitous character instead of Maje.

7. Black Widow (1987)

Directed by Bob Rafelson, ‘Black Widow’ follows Justice Department agent Alexandra Barnes (Debra Winger), who becomes suspicious of the reported deaths of multiple rich and seemingly healthy men. All of them share a common cause of death, a sleep-related breathing disorder, as well as the fact that they all got married months before their demise. When Alexandra digs deeper, she finds that their wives are the same woman (Theresa Russell), wearing different hair colors to hide her true appearance. The plot of ‘Black Widow’ closely mirrors ‘A Widow’s Game’ with the wives seemingly offing their husbands for personal gains.

6. Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Based on the eponymous book by Nancy Price, ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ stars Julia Roberts as Laura Burney, a woman who finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage. To escape her husband, she fakes her death in a boating accident and moves from Cape Cod in Massachusetts to Cedar Falls in Iowa. However, her peaceful life under a new identity is interrupted when her husband finds out the truth and tracks her down. The duplicitous nature of Laura brings to mind Maje’s character from ‘A Widow’s Game,’ even though Laura’s intention is simply self-preservation.

5. What Lies Beneath (2000)

‘What Lies Beneath’ tells the story of Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford), a married couple trying to overcome their strained relationship. After their daughter leaves for college, Claire starts having wild visions that appear to threaten the man she loves. The directorial venture of Robert Zemeckis adds a supernatural element to the thriller genre, following the theme of ‘A Widow’s Game’ of the husband being threatened in the relationship.

4. The Girl on the Train (2016)

Tate Taylor’s ‘The Girl on the Train’, based on the debut novel by Paula Hawkins, is about recovering alcoholic Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) who gets involved in a missing person investigation. After losing her job and marriage, Rachel rides the train to New York every day, which passes over the neighborhood where her ex-husband lives with his family. One day, she spots a neighbor she knows well with a stranger, following which she is reported missing. Rachel decides to investigate, and soon uncovers a buried truth that makes her question everything she knows about her life. Similar to ‘A Widow’s Game,’ ‘The Girl on the Train’ deals with betrayal among spouses and infidelity, which results in a person’s death.

3. The Honeymoon Killers (1970)

Directed by Leonard Kastle, ‘The Honeymoon Killers’ revolves around nursing administrator Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) and handsome con man Raymond Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco). After being seduced by the latter, Martha joins him to kill dozens of single women in the country, earning them the moniker “lonely hearts killers.” Based on a true story, ‘The Honeymoon Killer’ shows the pitfalls of giving in to the unhinged desires of our mind.”

2. To Die For (1995)

Based on Joyce Maynard’s eponymous novel, ‘To Die For’, directed by Gus Van Sant, chronicles the life of a woman desperate to be a celebrity. Suzanne Stone’s (Nicole Kidman) obsession does not allow her to be satisfied in her work or relationships, ultimately pushing her over the edge to start hurting those she loves. The self-obsessed nature of Suzanne brings to mind the similar nature of Maje in ‘A Widow’s Game.’ Both refuse to acknowledge relationships as anything other than a tool in their arsenal to exploit.

1. Gone Girl (2014)

The psychological thriller directed by David Fincher and based on the original work of Gillian Flynn follows writing teacher Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), who returns home one day to find his wife missing. On account of being the star of a children’s book series, Amy’s disappearance dominates the news. Soon, police suspect Nick of abducting his wife, even as he stands on the frontline leading the search to get her back. The sinister motives behind the disappearance of Amy, the hidden secrets of Nick, and the cold-blooded nature of the person orchestrating the public affair strike a chord extremely similar to ‘A Widow’s Game,’ making ‘Gone Girl’ its spiritual precursor.

10 Movies Like A Widow’s Game You Must See