Real Life Emotions Make "John Q" a Winner

There are numerous clichés around about how "when push comes to shove, desperate times call for desperate measures." But how far would you go to save the life of someone you love? Would you risk the lives of others? Would you give up everything you own? Or would you go even one step further and give up your own life?

That is the question asked in New Line Cinema's action-drama, "John Q." The movie focuses on a working-class couple that's put to the test when their only son comes down with a fatal heart-condition. When their insurance company refuses to pay for the heart transplant the child so desperately needs, the boy's father (played by Oscar-winner Denzel Washington) must decide how far he will go to save his kid's life. With time and options running out, he decides to take the same hospital his child is about to be thrown out of hostage until his son gets the treatment he needs to survive. Rather than being seen as a mad man though, "John Q," as he is called, quickly becomes a local hero when his story not only captures a hospital full of people's hearts, but the public's as well.

Although the premise to "John Q" may sound a bit cheesy, screenwriter James Kearns writes an emotional, heart-wrenching film that not only takes viewers on a journey within their own souls, but also opens up our eyes to the way the health care system works today. From the first ten minutes of the movie viewers will be sucked in to the love Washington's character has for his son (played by feature film newcomer Daniel E. Smith). Whether viewers have kids of their own or not, it's easy to understand the bond Washington and Smith have because almost everyone has that type of bond with someone in their life. Watching Washington struggle to maintain his own sanity for the sake of his dying son will not only have viewers wondering how they would act in a similar situation, but also will instantly have audiences siding with John Q. Furthermore, the fact that John Q has no intentions of really hurting anyone but himself to save his son helps viewers cheer him on even more since they know deep down inside he's not crazy, he's just a father whose back is up against a wall.

While Kearns writes a deeply moving story, it's director Nick Cassavetes that executes Kearns' vision perfectly. Cassavetes, who has a young daughter of his own that's had four major heart surgeries, took a special interest in "John Q" and it shows. Directing a cast of A-list actors that include Washington, Anne Heche, Robert Duvall, Ray Liotta, Eddie Griffin and James Woods, Cassavetes lends his own heartbreak and courage to the film to help make it such an emotional and engaging story. For while anyone could have directed this picture, having someone who understands where John Q is coming from only makes the story more powerful.

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