John Q (2002)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Introduction Menu Animation & Audio Dolby Digital Trailer-Rain Audio Commentary Featurette-Fighting For Care Featurette-Behind The Scenes Of John Q Deleted Scenes-6 +/- commentary Production Notes Biographies-Cast & Crew Theatrical Trailer Scene Selection Anim & Audio dts Trailer-Piano
Rating
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	116:15
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Nick Cassavetes
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Denzel Washington Robert Duvall James Woods Anne Heche Ray Liotta Eddie Griffin Kimberley Elise Shawn Hatosy
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$39.95	Music	Aaron Zigman

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    While John and wife Denise (Kimberly Elise) are watching their 9-year-old son Mike (Daniel E. Smith) play baseball, he collapses while running between bases. The Archibald’s rush him to the hospital for diagnosis and eventual treatment. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the family’s problems.

    The operation to save Mike will cost $250,000 but John is not concerned because he has medical insurance, subsidized by his employer. The problem is that John’s work has recently changed insurance policies, and reduced their level of medical cover to barely cover the cost of Mike’s first night in hospital.

    After the family sells all its material possessions and accepts generous donations, there is just enough to cover the nightly accommodation costs without even starting to cover the operation fees. John and his wife fall deeper and deeper into despair and the whole time the hospital seems to turn a deaf ear to his pleas for some mercy on their part.

    When Denise pleads with John to stop telling her everything will be all right and DO SOMETHING he cracks and decides to put his life on the line and take the hospital's emergency room hostage until his son has the operation.

    A strong cast including Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche and Ray Liotta make this a fantastic movie with an exceptionally high standard of acting that helps Denzel Washington deliver his most dazzling performance yet.

    Just ask yourself; "If you were pressed into a corner with no conceivable way out, how far would you go to protect or save the life of one of your own?"

Video

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer is extremely clear and sharp which is evident from the very first frame and remains so throughout the feature. Shadow detail is also very well controlled with no instances appearing too dark or devoid of detail. The example at 108:47 is typical of what you can expect from this transfer. There is no low level noise.

    The colours are lifelike in appearance with natural skin tones produced from a fully balanced palette. Outdoor shots also exhibit a good blend of colour providing scenes that look like you were seeing them through your own eyes. Scenes shot from inside the hospital tend to use colder colours from the green / blue end of the spectrum which adds visual impact to the movie.

    There was one particular MPEG artefact visible at 46:50 and again at 92:25 which caused John's forehead to move oddly. Aliasing is very rare on the few occasions where it does occur. There is some minor grain in some moving scenes, although I tend to think this was intentional even though nothing specific was mentioned in the commentary track. Film artefacts are also extremely rare and not distracting at all.

    This disc is an RSDL disc with the main feature stored on one layer and the extra's on the other. Therefore there is no layer transition during the movie.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    This is a magnificent audio transfer with a slightly more immersive and enveloping feel coming from the DTS track as compared to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track.

    The dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times with no background hiss even at high volume levels. Audio sync was not a problem at all with this transfer, and was completely spot on.

    The musical score by Aaron Zigman was immense, enveloping the listening room and making its presence felt, adding to the overall impact of the movie. The peaks and troughs of sound together with the way they have been mixed across the 5.1 channels suited the scenes well. The volume levels did not drown out the dialogue at any point during the movie.

    The surround channels provide substantial and engaging levels of presence for ambience, music and the occasional special effect such as those at 52:24 and 66:35. Directional effects and precise sound placement within the soundfield were the norm rather than the exception, putting you right in the midst of the action at all times, not just during the action sequences.

    There is a high level of deep bass called for by the music and the sub provides a perfect bottom end to these sequences.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Filmmaker Commentary

Theatrical Trailer (2:15)

Original Documentaries

• Fighting For Care (34:26)
• Behind The Scenes of John Q (16:54)

    Both offer a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround-encoded audio track with good quality video. The Fighting For Care documentary shows some medical procedures and is not recommended for the squeamish.

Deleted / Alternate Scenes with Director Commentary

1. About HMO's (3:17)
2. Mitch and John (2:45)
3. Julie's Stand (2:57)
4. Monroe Takes Control (1:07)
5. John's Prayer / John's Solution (9:33)
6. (SPOILER ALERT: highlight with mouse to read) The Heart Transplant / Mikey Flatlines (1:20)

    All the deleted / alternate scenes are worth a look but it is clear to see why they were excluded. The director's commentary also gives a good insight into why he felt they needed cutting from the original. The first 4 are of high quality, directly comparable with the main feature and complete with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.

Original Theatrical Press Kit

• The Production
• The Cast
• The Filmmakers

    All areas here are text screens with no sound and provide some detailed information about the people both in front of and behind the camera.

    The Region 4 version of this disc misses out on;

• DVD-ROM content
• $5 mail-in rebate coupon when consumers purchase both “I Am Sam” and “John Q.”

• Nothing

    This is a film about a miracle and after the opening scene captivates you, you will be waiting for the miracle to happen. It is a magnificent story and one that I will be seeing more of in the future. This is a title that should be in everyone's collection and something that will appeal to a broad range of tastes.

    The video quality is superb.

    The audio is immersive and of very high quality.

    There are plenty of extras to cater for all tastes. All are of high quality both visually and aurally.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall