Review of John Q (2002) by Filipeneto — 12 Feb 2022

This film exceeded my expectations, giving us a pleasant family drama around a son's illness and a father's difficulties in getting the treatments he needs because he can't afford them. In fact, the US is a particularly ungrateful country for people who, unfortunately, find themselves in need of expensive and ongoing medical care. The absence of a public health system that tends to be free of charge, along the lines of those in most of Europe, limits the care that is available to those who have no money, and makes private health insurance particularly powerful, to the point where they can decide whether it is worth paying for the treatment of someone who is sick and needs help. What this film does is fiction, but I felt that its story can find reflection in many stories of real people, if we look for them.

In this film, John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise must secure an urgent and very expensive heart transplant to save their son's life. It turns out they don't have the money, and health insurance refuses to cover the treatments. With the hospital already threatening to discharge the boy because his parents can't pay, John gives up on acting rationally and, in desperation, takes a pistol and barricades himself in the hospital's emergency room, with several hostages, including the heart surgeon responsible for his child.

The film may seem exaggerated or melodramatic, but it manages to make us put ourselves in that father's shoes, making us think a lot about what we are seeing. That's what happened to me, at least, and it helped to make the movie more serious and uncomfortable. In the midst of all this, however, there are weaknesses: what bothered me the most was John's exaggerated kindness, really caring about not hurting the people he's arrested. That looks good, makes the character palatable, but it wouldn't work in real life. The way in which the hospital director changes her mind about including the boy on the waiting list for organs also seems forced, as do many other situations that arise during the film.

Nick Cassavetes' direction proved to be effective, although not without flaws or criticism. The cast is led by a powerful and pleasant Denzel Washington, an actor who manages to give the character charisma and presence without losing a human touch. Robert Duvall works well in the role of a policeman in charge of negotiating with John, but he is far from having real relevance. The rest of the cast is average: Kimberly Elise just needs to cry and look grief-stricken, Anne Heche is worthy of our deepest contempt, James Woods just needs to look very hypocritical, and Ray Liotta says nothing more than a few cynical words.

Technically, it's a standard Hollywood drama film, with a reasonable budget and a relatively middling set of production values. With competent cinematography and good filming locations, the film combines good editing and satisfactory sound work. It's not a film that stands out for its technical aspects, but it has what it takes to work.