'John Q' is a film which revolves around John Quincy Archibald, a decent man who works hard and is law-abiding. But when his ten-year-old son Mike is diagnosed with a cardiac condition and desperately needs a heart transplant that the family's insurer's refuse to pay for, John is force to take matters into his own hands. With his son weakening, John takes the staff and patients of a hospital hostage as he demands doctors perform the surgery.
Denzel Washington plays John and, as usual, gives a very effecting performance that shows the strength and determination of a father's love without descending into schmaltz. Kimberly Elise, in her role as John's wife Denise nicely compliments his portrayal as a wife who wants a quiet life but will support her husband in anything if that is what it takes to save their son. The film also has strong support from Robert Duvall, as the hostage negotiator who sympathises with John but has a job to do, and James Woods in an uncharacteristically role as a spineless doctor who is more interested in his own life than the patients.
The actual storyline was a bit too overly-sentimental at times but only someone with a hard heart couldn't be moved by John's plight. 'John Q' does highlight a number of ethical questions, such as how far should a parent go to save their child and, ultimately, how could such a tragedy happen in the twenty-first century America that a child is denied a heart transplant purely because their family can't afford it? Living in the UK, we have the National Health Service, which is far from perfect, but at least parents wouldn't have to take the law into their own hands to ensure their child is given the surgery they need to live. Despite the rather happy resolution to the film, there is still a sadness to the story because this sort of thing probably does happen despite America being so rich.
'John Q' is a well-made thriller for those who also enjoy dramas and family-based films but it's also one which should be forced down the throats of every politician across the globe about why adequate health care should be provided for all, not matter what their financial status is.
Denzel Washington plays John and, as usual, gives a very effecting performance that shows the strength and determination of a father's love without descending into schmaltz. Kimberly Elise, in her role as John's wife Denise nicely compliments his portrayal as a wife who wants a quiet life but will support her husband in anything if that is what it takes to save their son. The film also has strong support from Robert Duvall, as the hostage negotiator who sympathises with John but has a job to do, and James Woods in an uncharacteristically role as a spineless doctor who is more interested in his own life than the patients.
The actual storyline was a bit too overly-sentimental at times but only someone with a hard heart couldn't be moved by John's plight. 'John Q' does highlight a number of ethical questions, such as how far should a parent go to save their child and, ultimately, how could such a tragedy happen in the twenty-first century America that a child is denied a heart transplant purely because their family can't afford it? Living in the UK, we have the National Health Service, which is far from perfect, but at least parents wouldn't have to take the law into their own hands to ensure their child is given the surgery they need to live. Despite the rather happy resolution to the film, there is still a sadness to the story because this sort of thing probably does happen despite America being so rich.
'John Q' is a well-made thriller for those who also enjoy dramas and family-based films but it's also one which should be forced down the throats of every politician across the globe about why adequate health care should be provided for all, not matter what their financial status is.