Bloodline 1979

Sam Roffe, president of Roffe & Sons Pharmaceuticals, dies in what appears to be a mountain-climbing accident, leaving Elizabeth Roffe with a billion-dollar empire. The board members seize on the opportunity to settle old scores, climb higher in the corporate ladder, and reap lucrative profits—yet a careful investigation soon reveals that Sam’s death was murder and that a tense power struggle is bubbling just beneath the surface.

Lead investigator Max Hornung lays out a growing list of suspects to Elizabeth, ranging from trusted advisers to financially strapped family members. Amid this turmoil, Elizabeth makes a bold personal move by marrying CEO Rhys Williams, even as Hornung continues to scrutinize everyone around her. The company’s by-laws add another layer of complexity: shares cannot be sold on the world market without unanimous board approval, a rule that gives Elizabeth leverage but also marks her as a target for those who want her out.

The tension escalates as several murder attempts on Elizabeth unfold, and an international chase unfolds across Europe. Hornung connects the rash of attacks to a grisly pattern—homicides of prostitutes captured on snuff films made with Roffe film stock. A key clue emerges: a witness described in a distinctive black Gucci leather coat appears at multiple scenes, tying disparate crimes together and pointing toward a calculated conspiracy.

Seeking protection, Elizabeth retreats to her father’s villa in Sardinia during a blistering sirocco. There, the unseen killer closes in, setting the villa ablaze and shouting a chilling demand: > Now try to make it look like an accident!

Rhys Williams and a shareholder, the formidable Sir Alec Nichols, arrive in time to help, but Hornung has deduced a grim truth. He confronts Nichols and shoots him dead before the killer can complete a final, symbolic snuff sequence aimed at Elizabeth. The revelation is brutal and startling: Sir Alec Nichols, a respected British politician, is deeply in debt due to his young wife Vivian’s gambling habits. With the truth laid bare, Elizabeth makes a decisive choice and finally embraces Rhys Williams as the danger behind them is exposed and the path forward becomes clearer.