John Q
Review
by : Gareth Von Kallenbach
Starring:
Denzel Washington (John), Daniel E.
Smith (Mike), Kimberly Elise (Denise), James Woods
(Dr Turner)
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
|
How far would you go to save a loved one? This is the question
that for many of us thankfully will remain a hypothetical
pondering. However for John Archibald (Denzel Washington),
in the new Drama "John Q" the question drives him to stage
a high stakes crisis where life and death are the only options.
Directed
by Nick Cassavetes, "John Q" tells the story of John Archibald
and his family, wife Denise (Kimberly Elise), and son Mike
(Daniel E. Smith), as they struggle to cope in difficult economic
times. John is working part time at his factory due to hours
being cut, and his wife has just started at a grocery store.
Despite the financial hardships, they are a loving and happy
family who have good friends and are respected by their congregation
and community. Tragedy strikes the family unexpectedly when
Mike collapses during a baseball game, and is discovered to
have a failing heart by the doctors attending him. It is revealed
that short of a transplant, Mike will not live much longer.
The cost of the transplant is a quarter of a million dollars,
and John is informed that his insurance will not cover the
procedure. Unwilling to let his only child die, John and Denise
set about contacting various relief and assistance agencies
in an effort to raise the money and save their son. Desperate
to pay the rising costs, the Archibalds soon take to selling
their possessions and accepting charity from their congregation
but it is still far too little as they are denied assistance
time after time by the bureaucracy. Desperate to keep his
son in the hospital after being informed of his pending release
due to lack of funds, John takes matters into his own hands
and takes the hospital's emergency room and several people
hostage. John has a very simple request, all he wants is to
have his son's name placed on the donor list so that Mike
might have a chance to live.
During
the hostage standoff, John has to negotiate with veteran police
officer Grimes (Robert Duvall) who wants to end the standoff
quickly and quietly. The efforts are hampered by the Chief
of Police (Ray Liotta), who is more concerned about election
year politics and his media image than in doing what is right
for all parties involved. Further complicating the situation
are Rebecca Payne (Anne Heche), as a hospital administrator
more concerned with the bottom line than helping the public
and Dr. Turner (James Woods), as the surgeon that can save
Mike, but who is more concerned with policy and procedure
than the human issue at hand.
The hostages
John holds are a mixed group including a Hispanic mother,
an expecting couple, an abusive rich snob and his girlfriend,
nurses and guards and a smooth operator know as Lester (Eddie
Griffin). It is the diversity of the group that leads to some
of the more memorable moments in the film as the notion of
health care in America is seen differently by each member
of the group, and the film avoids the racial issue and instead
relies more on the economic factors that for many determine
the type and quality medical care they can receive. While
the film is dramatic, it rarely seems forced or contrived
and the issues raised by the film are valid with no easy answers.
The film also takes steps to show the other side of the issue,
as while the bureaucracy is painted in a bad light, the audience
is given some of the reasons behind their actions and decisions.
The cast
is very good and Washington and Woods give outstanding performances
without stepping on each other's toes. The ensemble cast works
well and there is solid chemistry amongst all the characters.
Perhaps the most enjoyable things about "John Q" other than
the fact that it entertained, was that it informed without
preaching nor making broad generalizations. The situation
in the film was shown as what happened to one family without
making broad references about this sort of situation happening
to everyone. "John Q" is a well-made and informative film
that was a pleasant surprise.
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
Gareth@nwlink.com
|
