John Q (2002)
Give a father no options and you leave him no choice.
Keywords
John Q rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb7.1/10· 153K votes
Rotten Tomatoes26%
Metacritic30%
TMDb7.128/10· 3K votesWith 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.1/10 on IMDb and 30/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been modest.
About John Q
John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son's name on the donor's list.
Cast of John Q
Denzel Washington
as John Quincy Archibald
James Woods
as Dr. Raymond Turner
Kimberly Elise
as Denise Archibald
Robert Duvall
as Lt. Frank Grimes
Shawn Hatosy
as Mitch Quigley
Eddie Griffin
as Lester Matthews
Kevin Connolly
as Steve Maguire
Ethan Suplee
as Guard Max Conlin
Ray Liotta
as Chief Gus Monroe
Anne Heche
as Rebecca Payne
Laura Harring
as Gina Palumbo
Heather Wahlquist
as Julie Bird
John Q facts
- Budget
- $36M
- Box office
- $102.2M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Emotional stakes feel genuinely compelling despite familiar crime-thriller framework
- •Hospital hostage premise creates tense moral dilemma throughout narrative
- •Nick Cassavetes brings emotional depth and intensity to dire situation
What the audience disliked
- •Thriller mechanics can feel manipulative and overly sentimental at times
- •Resolution feels contrived and lacks believable logical consistency
Trailer
Where to watch John Q(US)
View on JustWatch →Rent / Buy
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
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YouTube
Fandango At HomeAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
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