JOHN Q

Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duval, James Woods, Ann Heche and Ray Liotta
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Running Time: 116 mins
Certificate: 15

When John Q Archibald's (Washington) son collapses during a baseball game, he is told that without a heart transplant he is going to die. Now John has health insurance that should cover any eventuality but unbeknownst to him his employer has downgraded his policy to cut costs leaving no chance of his son having the operation. After trying everything to raise the $75,000 just to get his son on the donor list, desperation gets the better of him and he takes drastic action. Barricading himself into the Hospital's ER, John demands that his son be put on the donor list or his hostages are going to die.

What starts off as an incite into the unfairness of the US medical system quickly turns into a an over sentimental run-of-the-mill thriller that is instantly forgettable. Yes, the premise of a health service that is more interested in making money than saving patients is a valid subject to raise in a movie but when sentiment forced down your throat in such an abundant manner you just end up feeling sick by the end of it.

Denzel Washington brings a certain amount of believability to the character, as you'd expect from an actor of his quality, and he does what he can with the material but even he can't save the movie. The supporting cast are severely underused with Robert Duval and James Woods seeming like caricatures rather than genuine characters.

If this had been handled correctly it could have sent out a meaningful message about the inadequacies of a privately run Health Service but the movie just tumbles into sentimentality and the glorification of using violence to get your cause noticed. We all remember what happens when people think that violence is the only option, now don't we.

NOT AVAILABLE