The Widower: 'Til Death Do Us Part
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100Recommended
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it throughThis film
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100Recommended
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it throughThis film
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
Worldview score
What the story celebrates or condemns.
Why +1 for this film
The film honours persistence for justice and the courage of victims' families, and it exposes deceit and greed without glamorising them.
- +2Affirms faithPresents faith in God positively and as true
- +1Positive valuesThis filmHonesty, sacrifice and family win out
- 0Mixed or neutralNo clear stance
- −1AmbivalentShows sin without judging it either way
- −2Glamorises sinMakes sin look attractive and rewarding
Age guide
How suitable this film is for each age group.
Why 16+ for this film
Detailed accounts of shootings and a forceful arrest, repeated strong language (around fifteen f-words), and themes of alleged murder for insurance money and suicide are intense.
- Under 8No
- Ages 8–12No
- Ages 13–15Wait
- Ages 16–17Check first
- AdultsYes
A gripping Dateline true-crime documentary about a man whose wives kept dying, built around years of access to the investigation. Its strong language and dark subject make it best for older teens and adults.
Watch guide
What's in it?
LanguageRepeated strong language
Around fifteen f-words plus scattered milder swearing, mostly from the accused in recorded calls, interviews and his arrest.
BlasphemyAbout ten exclamations
God's name is used as an exclamation during the 911 call and the arrest, and Jesus' name once.
Sex and nudityCrude innuendo
The accused makes crude remarks about women, and there is a claim that he made one wife watch him with other women. Nothing is shown.
RelationshipsControlling, deadly marriages
Six marriages marked by control, infidelity and alleged plots to kill wives for insurance money. The film presents this as predatory.
ViolenceMurders described, footage
Shootings are described in detail through a 911 call and a crime-scene walk-through, and a forceful arrest with a taser is filmed. Real crime-scene images may appear.
Frightening scenesReal menace and grief
Real victims' families describe fear and loss, and the man at the centre is genuinely threatening.
Drugs and alcoholDrinking, drug references
Drink-driving, beer and references to past drug use, all framed negatively.
AttitudesManipulation exposed
A manipulative, unrepentant man lies and works the system for his own ends. The film clearly condemns this.
OccultNone
There is no witchcraft, magic, séances, fortune-telling or other occult content. The film is a straightforward true-crime investigation.
- To knowContent to know about
- Skip for kidsSkip for younger viewers
- DiscussWorth discussing
- 0:03:00
Violence and distress
A real 911 call: a man reports his wife shot and an intruder killed, with swearing and cries of God's name.
- 0:07:00
Violence describedSkip if under 13
The accused walks detectives through the shootings, imitating gunfire, and the paramedic describes the dying wife's condition in grim detail.
- 0:16:00
Strong language and threats
In a recorded police interview he swears repeatedly, makes threats and crude remarks about wives.
- 0:32:00
Suicide
He speaks of his second wife's death as suicide. Later we hear a gun was in her hand, and he talks of shooting himself.
- 0:34:00
Sexual content (described)
A relative says he kept a locked basement room and made his wife watch him with other women.
- 0:40:00
Manipulation and coercion
A former friend describes practising ways to kill a wife for insurance money and being threatened into silence.
- 0:56:00
Arrest violenceSkip if under 13
Armed officers arrest him; he is tased, dragged through snow, screaming and swearing, with God's and Jesus' names used as exclamations.
- 1:26:00
Justice and grief
The jury delivers a verdict and the victim's daughter speaks of her grief.
How to play
- 1. Draw a cardOne person reads the question out loud.
- 2. Everyone answersThere are no wrong answers. Listen before you reply.
- 3. Pass it onThe next person draws, until the deck is done.
Faith & story
What does it say?
What's it about?The plot, without the ending
In May 2008 a Las Vegas man calls 911 to say an intruder has shot his wife and that he has shot the intruder dead. Police first see a hero, but one detective sees details that do not add up. Dateline producer Dan Slepian, given unusual access to the investigation, films detectives, prosecutors and the dead woman's daughter. As the team looks into the man's past, they find he has had six wives, four of whom have died. Over many years the documentary follows the case through interviews, jail calls and the courtroom.
Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible
This is a story of greed that turns a spouse into a means to an end. Paul warned that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Randolph's alleged plots echo Ahab and Jezebel, who arranged Naboth's death through false process to seize what they wanted. The film also shows a man who hides his schemes behind charm, and Scripture warns that the heart can be deceitful and that wolves can come looking gentle. Against that stands the persistence of detectives, a journalist and a grieving daughter, who keep pressing for justice for the dead. The Bible asks for exactly this kind of advocacy, to speak up for those who cannot and to see justice done. The film suggests that wrongdoing can be delayed and manipulated, but is not easily buried. It also shows how costly justice can be to those who wait for it. Families can ask where the film points to a day when all hidden things come to light.
Fruit of the SpiritWhich fruit does it show?
3 out of 9 fruits ripe in this film
Ripe grapes are shown in the film, buds are missing
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Kindness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
The works of the flesh dominate. Randolph shows fits of anger in his furious calls and at the arrest, and hatred toward those who cross him. Strife runs through the legal battles and the confrontation outside the house. Jealousy and control mark his marriages, and sexual immorality appears in the accounts of affairs and of the second wife being made to watch him with other women. Drunkenness appears in the drink-driving arrest. Idolatry fits his worship of money, since he treats his wives as insurance payouts. Against this, faithfulness shows in the detectives who stay on the case for years, and in Colleen, who keeps going to court. Patience shows in the families who wait for justice. Goodness shows in Colleen's courage in testifying and in the detectives' determination to protect others.
The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
- Thomas Randolph
The charming, cocky man at the centre of the case, who insists he is innocent. Those who knew him describe a controlling manipulator who profited from his wives' deaths.
- Dan Slepian
The Dateline producer who films the investigation and builds a long phone and interview relationship with Randolph while quietly doubting him.
- Dean O'Kelley
The Las Vegas homicide detective who sensed something was wrong at the scene and kept pursuing the case for years, until retirement.
- Colleen Beyer
Sharon's daughter, who lost her mother while pregnant. She faces fear and delay with quiet courage and testifies at trial.
How Christians are portrayed
No Christians, churches or expressions of faith appear in the film. God's name is used only as an exclamation, in moments of shock or anger.
Community
What other Christians think
What did you notice?
Bloody or graphic violence?
Is this appropriate for Christians to watch?
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Review
Helpful reviewer
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Given to members whose reviews 25 or more people have marked Helpful.
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Details
Film details
- On streaming
- Sep 30, 2026
- Director
- Chris Smith
- Studios
- Library Films, NBC News Studios
- Genre
- Documentary
- Run time
- 1h 31m
- Age rating
- US R
How we analysed this
We counted language, blasphemy and other content in the film's dialogue and read it with the plot and film details, then rated each content area against our rubric and worldview scale, using AI models calibrated on reference titles. Not yet reviewed by our team. Confidence: medium.
Score = 100 − 16 × content concern (3.03) + 8 × worldview (+1) = 59
This is a guide to help families choose with wisdom, not a verdict on anyone's conscience ().
Updated 2026-10-14