Fresh
A coercive script by James Kearns, and some middling direction by Nick Cassavetes, can't rob the movie of an undeniable, headlong crowd-pleasing power as it tackles an issue that touches us all.
John Patterson, L.A. Weekly
John Q
Give a father no options and you leave him no choice.
2002 · 1h 56m · PG-13
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Nick Cassavetes
Overview
John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son's name on the donor's list.
Director and cast
- Nick Cassavetes Director
- Denzel Washington as John Quincy Archibald
- Robert Duvall as Frank Grimes
- James Woods as Dr. Raymond Turner
- Kimberly Elise as Denise Archibald
- Shawn Hatosy as Mitch Quigley
- Eddie Griffin as Lester Matthews
- Kevin Connolly as Steve Maguire
- Ethan Suplee as Guard Max Conlin
- Ray Liotta as Chief Gus Monroe
- Anne Heche Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
26%
Tomatometer
Rotten
A polemic in search of a plot.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rotten
Manipulative sentimentality, contrived plot and phony climax.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Rotten
A sappy, melodramatic Denzel Washington vehicle that ensnares you in the standard hostage-movie scenario and doesn't let go until the director runs the whole playbook.
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic
Rotten
It pulls out more stops than that old silent serial The Perils of Pauline. Unfortunately, it's a talkie.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture
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