John Q. Archibald (Washington) is an ordinary man who works at a factory and takes care of his family. His wife Denise (Elise) and young son Michael (Smith) are his world. But when Michael falls seriously ill and needs an emergency heart transplant operation that John can't afford
and his health insurance won't cover, he vows to do whatever it will take to keep his son alive. With time and options running out, a desperate gamble becomes his only hope - - he takes the emergency room hostage.
As John barricades himself inside the hospital along with his unwitting group of emergency room hostages, many of them in need of medical care themselves, he faces off with a veteran police hostage negotiator (Duvall) and a quick-tempered police chief (Liotta) who wants to bring a
swift end to the stand-off.
Canadian Connection: Filmed in Toronto, Ontario.
Although the plot gets a bit sloppy at times..the movie is enjoyable and makes the viewer consider all sides of the health care debate. Denzel is...well he's denzel!
I love Denzel, but this is a bunch of nonsense...
john q is absolutely carrying to his son, he is a good father and it was a good story