John Q.

John Q.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nick Cassavetes
Written by	James Kearns
Produced by	Mark Burg Oren Koules
Starring	Denzel Washington Robert Duvall James Woods Anne Heche Eddie Griffin Kimberly Elise Shawn Hatosy Ray Liotta
Cinematography	Rogier Stoffers
Edited by	Dede Allen
Music by	Aaron Zigman
Production company	Evolution Entertainment
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date	February 15, 2002 (2002-02-15)
Running time	116 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$36 million[1]
Box office	$102.2 million [1]

John Q. is a 2002 American thriller drama film starring Denzel Washington and directed by Nick Cassavetes. The film tells the story of John Quincy Archibald (Denzel Washington), a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and who finds out he is unable to receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it, before he decides to hold up the hospital and force them to do it.

The film co-stars Robert Duvall, Kimberly Elise, Anne Heche, James Woods, and Ray Liotta. The film was shot in Toronto,^[2] Hamilton, Ontario, and Canmore, Alberta, although the story takes place in Chicago. Shooting took place for 60 days from August 8 to November 3, 2000. The film was released on February 15, 2002. It received generally negative reviews from critics; however, the film grossed $102 million worldwide.

Plot[]

A young woman drives recklessly down on a winding road in Montana, eventually fatally colliding with a truck. Weeks earlier in Chicago, Illinois, factory worker John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise face financial trouble due to the ongoing recession. They rush their young son Michael to the hospital when he collapses at his baseball game, and are informed by cardiologist Dr. Raymond Turner and administrator Rebecca Payne that Michael needs a heart transplant to survive. The procedure is extremely expensive ($250,000) and the hospital requires a 30% down payment ($75,000) to place Michael on the organ recipient list, and John discovers that because of his job's recent changes to their insurance carrier and his working hours, his health insurance will not cover the surgery.

After failing to acquire alternate aid from elsewhere, John and Denise struggle to raise the money themselves, and the hospital eventually prepares to send Michael home to die, leading a distraught Denise to urge John to do something. Determined to save his son, John confronts Dr. Turner at gunpoint and takes him and several patients and staff hostage in the ER, but allows a gunshot victim inside to be treated. Police arrive shortly after, and negotiator Lt. Frank Grimes makes contact with John, who demands that Payne put Michael’s name on the recipient list.

Grimes clashes with his superior Chief Gus Monroe, while most of the hostages sympathize with John and his plight and reflect on the flaws of America's healthcare system. Agreeing to release some of the patients, John is attacked by hostage Mitch, whose girlfriend Julie, having become fed up with Mitch’s abuse and self-serving attitude, helps John to subdue him instead. Handcuffing Mitch, John frees expectant couple Steve and Miriam and immigrant mother Rosa with her infant son, who all declare their support for John to the news crews outside. Grimes and Payne reveal John’s actions to Denise, and Payne decides to place Michael on the list and perform the operation pro bono.

Overriding Grimes’ command, Monroe allows a SWAT sniper to enter the ER via an air shaft, luring John into the line of fire with a phone call from Denise. John speaks with Michael as his condition worsens, while a news crew hacks the police surveillance feed and broadcasts John’s conversation with his family. Ending the call, John discovers the hacked news footage just as the sniper fires, wounding him in the shoulder. John then notices and overpowers the sniper, using him as a human shield as he steps outside and reiterates his demands in front of a cheering crowd. As night falls, Michael is removed from the ICU and brought to the ER in exchange for the sniper’s release, while Denise is forced to stay outside at the police command post.

John reveals his intention to commit suicide so his own heart can be used to save Michael. He persuades Turner to perform the operation, and Julie and security guard Max bear witness to John’s impromptu will. He says his goodbyes to Michael, and prepares to end his own life using the only bullet he brought, but Denise reaches the ER with news that the heart of a recently deceased organ donor – the motorist from the beginning of the film – is a match for Michael and is on the way. Once the heart arrives, John releases the remaining hostages, including patient Lester, who surrenders to police disguised as him. Posing as one of the surgeons, John accompanies his son to the operating room, where Grimes, the only one to notice the switch between him and Lester, finds him with Denise and allows him to watch Michael’s operation before arresting him.

Three months later, John’s actions have sparked national debate about healthcare, and his family, friends and all the hostages testify on his behalf at trial. John is ultimately acquitted of attempted murder and armed criminal action, but convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment; his actual prison sentence isn't revealed, but his lawyer assures him that he will likely serve no more than two years. As John is escorted out of the courthouse and driven off to jail to await sentencing, a now-healthy Michael thanks him.

Cast[]

Production[]

According to the commentary on the Deleted Scenes with Cassavetes and writer James Kearns, the main theme of the movie was said to be "about a miracle and John's faith in God creating the miracle". They also mentioned how SWAT team advisors for the film related a similar true incident in Toronto where a man (Henry Masuka) took an ER hostage after it would not provide immediate service to his infant son on New Year's Eve 1999. When he exited the ER he was shot and killed and found to be carrying an unloaded pellet gun.^[3][4][5]

Release[]

John Q. opened in first place, grossing $23.3 million during its first weekend. It ended up with a total domestic gross of $71 million and $102.2 million worldwide.

Reception[]

On Rotten Tomatoes John Q. holds an approval rating of 23% based on the 131 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Washington's performance rises above the material, but John Q pounds the audience over the head with its message."^[6] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.^[8]

Hindi adaptation[]

Zee Studios acquired the rights to John Q.'s Hindi adaptation, titled Sanak, with Vidyut Jammwal in the lead role.^{[citation needed]} Streaming service Hotstar acquired the film's distribution rights and released it on 15 October 2021 to mixed reviews from critics.^{[citation needed]}

See also[]

• Denzel Washington on screen and stage
• Dog Day Afternoon, an earlier film with a similar hostage premise
• Money Monster, a later film with a similar hostage premise
• Health disparities
• Sugreeva^[9]
• Tathastu, a Hindi film (starring Sanjay Dutt and Ameesha Patel) that is an unofficial remake of John Q.^[10]

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: John Q.

• John Q. at IMDb
• John Q. at Rotten Tomatoes
• John Q. at Box Office Mojo