John Q

Name: John Q
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: 2002-02-15
Duration: 1 h 56 min
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Denzel Washington, James Woods, Kimberly Elise, Robert Duvall, Shawn Hatosy

2002·Movie·PG-13·116 min·★ 7.1(2,645)

Drama Thriller Crime More English titles

“Give a father no options and you leave him no choice.”

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.

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Where to watch John Q in United States

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Click a service to open John Q there. Availability last verified on July 13, 2026.

Where is John Q streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	YouTube Free	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Amazon Video
United Kingdom	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Sky Store
Canada	Crave, Paramount Plus, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo
Australia	ABC iview	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Germany	Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, maxdome Store
France	—	Apple TV Store, Canal VOD, Sooner
Japan	U-NEXT, HBO Max on U-Next	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

About John Q

John Q is a 2002 English-language drama, thriller and crime film directed by Nick Cassavetes. The cast is led by Denzel Washington, James Woods, Kimberly Elise. It has a runtime of 1h 56m. Viewers rate it 7.1/10 across 2600 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on YouTube Free.

John Q was produced by Evolution Entertainment, New Line Cinema, and Burg/Koules Productions and made in United States of America. It was released on February 15, 2002, and carries a PG-13 certification. Made on a budget of about $36 million, it went on to gross $102 million worldwide.

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Writers: James Kearns
Release date: February 15, 2002
Original language: English
Age rating: PG-13
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $36 million
Box office: $102 million
Production: Evolution Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Burg/Koules Productions

#chicago, illinois#parent child relationship#heart attack#kidnapping#heart disease#hostage-taking#hospital

John Q cast & crew

John Q was directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by James Kearns.

The cast features 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, and Eddie Griffin as Lester Matthews.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Aaron Zigman, cinematography is by Rogier Stoffers, and it was produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules.

Is John Q worth watching?

John Q holds an audience score of 7.1/10 from 2,645 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed drama films.

At 1h 56m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama, thriller, and crime, John Q is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch John Q

In United States, you can stream John Q on YouTube Free, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.