24 years later, this Denzel crime thriller movie is still a scathing indictment of American healthcare

Denzel Washington in "John Q" (2002) — (Image credit: Alamy)

The Tom's Guide Verdict: 'John Q'

Rating: 2/5 stars

Verdict: "John Q" has such potential. Starring Denzel Washington as a father to a dying son, the film is a scathing indictment of the American healthcare system. It's still relevant today. Unfortunately, it's just not a great movie. It lacks all subtlety, from the performances to the script to the cliché crime-thriller score.

Where to watch: Buy or rent "John Q" on Prime Video

"John Q" always had the potential to be a low point in my 52-week-long Denzel Watchathon. With a meager 26% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it's one of the worst-reviewed movies of Denzel Washington's career. But a glimmer of hope remained. Audiences rated it a much higher 78%, and other sites, like Letterboxd, rated it more highly than the Tomatometer critics as well.

Having now seen this Nick Cassavetes crime thriller for myself, I can see both sides. This movie is a scathing indictment of the American healthcare system. You will get angry watching it. Not just because you feel for Denzel, and the people in power are so easy to hate. You get angry because, for most people, American healthcare is still this bad today; 24 years later, nothing has changed.

On the other hand, most criticism of this movie is spot on. Its message is a good one, but it's delivered with the surgical precision of a sledgehammer rather than a scalpel. Denzel's performance is good, but the rest of the talented cast, which includes Robert Duvall, Ray Liotta and many other familiar names, don't always get the best material to work with. The score is also cringeworthy in how cliché it is.

This crime thriller's portrayal of US healthcare feels as relevant as ever

In "John Q," we're taken back in time to George W. Bush's America, which is a contemporary setting for a 2002 film. The movie centers around John (Denzel Washington), a factory worker who has recently had his hours cut (this is important!). Things aren't great, but they take a turn for the worse when his son, Mike (Daniel E. Smith), collapses during a Little League game.

At the hospital, John and his wife, Denise (Kimberly Elise), learn that Mike's heart has essentially failed. He'll live, but only for "Months. Weeks. Days." They can either try to make Mike's last days comfortable, or they can approve a heart transplant, which is risky, but the only option for saving Mike.

John, after asking the doctor (James Woods) what he'd do, agrees to do the transplant surgery. After all, they have health insurance, so it shouldn't be an issue financially.

Wrong. It turns out John's company secretly switched from a PPO to an HMO, reducing coverage levels. Additionally, while John is a full-time employee, he's been reduced to part-time hours, and the coverage is based on hours worked. This means that insurance will no longer cover the procedure. Instead, John and Denise have to put together $250,000 to pay for the surgery.

John tries to put together the money, but they decide to discharge Mike before he can. So he takes the emergency room hostage until they put Mike on the transplant list, and that's where the movie really begins.

From here on out, the movie goes back and forth between the people in the ER who largely think that John is right and the healthcare system is corrupt, and the powerful people gathered outside, who are mostly trying to kill John before he kills a hostage.

Over two decades later, this still feels like a relevant and, sadly, relatable story. We've seen healthcare executives gunned down in the street in recent years over denials of coverage.

Right or wrong, it's not difficult to sympathize with people like John who feel pushed to the brink. Who among us hasn't had a stressful call with a healthcare provider? Who hasn't received a surprise bill for procedures and medicine that were supposed to be covered? I know that I certainly have, and I know I'm not alone.

Verdict: I wish 'John Q' was a better movie

John Q (2002) Official Trailer - Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall Movie HD - YouTube

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Unfortunately, for all the power of its message, "John Q" just isn't a very good movie. I tried to give it a shot, especially with audiences rating it so highly, but the dialogue is laughable at times. The score is so cliché it's grating to hear. While I'd love to see this story told, and with Denzel as the lead, this is not the version I'd want to see.

Ultimately, I can't recommend you watch this crime thriller — yet. Right now, you'd have to buy or rent it, and spending money to only watch this movie is a bad investment. But "John Q" has shown up on streaming services in the past, including Netflix.

So if it ever makes it back onto one of those, and you already have a subscription, then you can go ahead and check it out. It's not an egregiously bad movie. It's just not worth spending your hard-earned money on. Especially since that money might have to go to a medical bill.

Buy or rent "John Q" on Prime Video now

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Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.