John Q.

Not to be confused with John Q. Public.

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 written by James Kearns and directed by Nick Cassavetes. It stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a man who is forced to take a hospital emergency room hostage in order for his son to receive a heart transplant. Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche, Kimberly Elise, and Ray Liotta appear in supporting roles.

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, and the film was released on February 15, 2002. It received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a commercial success, grossing $102 million on a $36 million budget.

Plot

A motorist driving a white BMW 5 Series^[3] recklessly on a freeway is killed in a collision with a truck. Weeks earlier in Chicago, factory worker John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise are behind with their house and car payments. One day after church, they rush their young son Michael to the hospital after he collapses at his baseball game, and are told by cardiologist Dr. Raymond Turner and administrator Rebecca Payne that Michael needs a heart transplant or he will die. John and Denise have only $1,000 in savings, and they are informed that the hospital requires a $75,000 down payment of the procedure's $250,000 cost simply to place Michael on the organ transplant list. To make matters worse, John discovers that his work's health insurance will not cover the surgery due to them changing his policy as a result of them switching insurance carriers and reducing his working hours.

John and Denise struggle to raise the money and the hospital prepares to send Michael home to die when the couple exhausts all their opportunities and they still come up short. Determined to save Michael, John takes Dr. Turner and several patients and staff hostage at gunpoint in the ER. Police negotiator Lt. Frank Grimes makes contact with John, who demands that Payne put Michael's name on the list.

Grimes clashes with his superior Chief Gus Monroe, while most of the hostages sympathize with John's plight and reflect on the flaws of America's healthcare system. A nurse even reveals that Michael's condition could have been detected much earlier during routine checkups, but the doctor had stayed silent about doing additional testing for it to get bonuses from the insurance company in exchange for helping maintain their profit. After agreeing to release some of the patients, John is attacked by hostage Mitch, whose abused girlfriend Julie helps John subdue and handcuff him. 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 places Michael on the list to perform the operation pro bono.

Overriding Grimes, Monroe has a SWAT sniper enter the ER via an air shaft, luring John into the line of fire with a 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. John discovers the hacked news footage just as the sniper fires, wounding him in the shoulder. John overpowers the sniper and uses him as a human shield as he 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 waits at the police command post along with her and John's friends Jimmy and Gina Palumbo.

John reveals his intention to die by suicide to save Michael with his own heart, and also reveals that his gun was empty all along. 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, when Denise brings news that the heart of a recently deceased organ donor – the motorist – is on the way. Once the heart arrives, John releases the hostages, including patient Lester, who surrenders to police posing as John. John, posing as a surgeon, accompanies Michael to the operating room where Grimes, who noticed the switch, allows him to watch Michael's operation before arresting him.

Three months later, John's actions have sparked national debate about healthcare, and in court his family, friends and all the hostages testify on his behalf at trial. John is acquitted of attempted murder and armed criminal action, but convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment. His lawyer assures him that he will likely serve no more than two years. As John is escorted from the courthouse, Lester proclaims him as a hero, and a now-healthy Michael gains eye contact with John, thanking John for saving his life.

Cast

• Denzel Washington as John Quincy Archibald
• Robert Duvall as Lt. Frank Grimes
• James Woods as Dr. Raymond Turner
• Anne Heche as Rebecca Payne
• Eddie Griffin as Lester Matthews
• Kimberly Elise as Denise Archibald, John Q's wife
• Shawn Hatosy as Mitch Quigley
• Ray Liotta as Chief Gus Monroe
• Daniel E. Smith as Michael "Mike" Archibald, John Q & Denise's son
• David Thornton as Jimmy Palumbo
• Ethan Suplee as Guard Max Conlin
• Kevin Connolly as Steve Maguire
• Paul Johansson as Tuck Lampley
• Heather Wahlquist as Julie Byrd
• Troy Beyer as Miriam Smith
• Obba Babatundé as Sgt. Moody
• Troy Winbush as Steve Smith, Miriam's husband
• Laura Harring as Gina Palumbo, Jimmy's wife
• Larissa Laskin as Dr. Ellen Klein
• Dina Waters as Debby Utley
• Martha Chaves as Rosa Gonzales
• Keram Malicki-Sánchez as Freddy B.
• Vanessa Branch as Nurse
• Stephanie Moore as Admitting Nurse
• Gabriela Oltean as Beautiful BMW Driver
• Jay Leno as himself
• Larry King as himself
• Ted Demme as himself
• Gloria Allred as herself
• Nas as himself
• Bill Maher as himself
• Arianna Huffington as herself

Production

According to the commentary on the deleted scenes with Nick 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.^[4][5][6]

Release

John Q. opened in first place, grossing $20.2 million during its first weekend.^[7] 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 25% based on the 133 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."^[8] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[9] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.^[10]

Remake

The film was officially remade in India as the Hindi-language 2006 film Tathastu, in Kannada as Sugreeva and Tamil-language 2023 film Tamilarasan.^[11]

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^[12]
• Tathastu, a Hindi film (starring Sanjay Dutt and Ameesha Patel) that is an unofficial remake of John Q.^[13]

References

1. "John Q (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
2. "Reel Toronto: John Q". online news. Torontoist. 7 July 2009.
3. https://www.imcdb.org/v311554.html 1989 BMW 525i [E34] in John Q, Movie, 2002
4. Audio commentary on the DVD.
5. Rush, Curtis (10 December 2011). "In tailspin after police shootings, former SWAT team leader lifts veil on post-traumatic stress syndrome". Toronto Star. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
6. "Inquest into fatal hospital shooting begins" CBC News, April 17, 2001.
7. "Washington's 'John Q' quickly No. 1". The Atlanta Constitution. February 18, 2002. p. D14. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "John Q (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes.
9. "John Q Reviews". Metacritic.
10. "Find CinemaScore" (Type "John Q" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved April 11, 2021.^{[better source needed]}
11. "Tamilarasan Movie Review: A sincere Vijay Antony is the heart of this otherwise messy, inconsistent drama". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
12. Hooli, Shekhar H. (15 March 2010). "Sugreeva – Review". oneIndia. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
13. "Tathastu? Or is it John Q?". South Asian Women's Forum. 10 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2012.

External links

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