Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Category: IIB
Denzel Washington broke out of character for last year's Training Day when he played the lead role of the nasty policeman with such relish it brought him an Oscar for best actor. It was a brave move as throughout his career Washington has played the hero - not the villain of the piece - and it was hoped the role would see studios lining up to allow him to further stretch his acting talents.
Well, if that was the hope, judging by his latest release we'll all be disappointed. Here Washington reverts to type - and it's not far in that you begin to realise you've seen it all before. This is a film, like 1993's Falling Down, that concerns a man who finds himself a victim of 'the system'. Then, it was Michael Douglas as a man who loses his job and his mind after he finds himself caught in a traffic jam. Here, it is Washington as John Q, a man whose job is downgraded, meaning he has less health cover for his family when he needs it most.
John Q discovers his son (Daniel E Smith) needs a heart transplant, and the new health cover supplied by the factory he works for comes nowhere near covering the expense. John Q pleads with the surgeon involved (James Woods) who says he'll waive his normal fee to help allay the cost, but when this is still not enough, John Q loses it big-time. He marches in to the hospital with a gun and tries to force all those concerned into performing the operation.