John Q - Film Analysis

Daniel Jones

Business Ethics

Film Analysis

Ms. Corso

December 6, 2002

In my film analysis I will be discussing some of the fourteen principles of a satisfactory moral system and a good ethical decision. I will also discuss how some of the characters use the theory of care ethicist (care ethicist is to treat others as a human being fairly or equally) and virtue theorist (virtue theorist is doing the hard thing). My movie analysis is on John Q.

John Q. Archibald (care ethicists) is an ordinary man who works at a factory and takes care of his family. His wife Denise and young son Michael are his world. But when Michael falls seriously ill and needs an emergency heart transplant operation that cost $250,000. John can’t afford the money, but vows to take the initiative to do anything in coming up with money by selling all his personal belonging. John and Denise (wife) then goes to numerous health clinics to receive aid, but were denied because John was over qualified. As result of John not receiving any medical insurance John goes to his boss and ask for the complete insurance coverage, but was also denied because John’s boss cut John’s hours to part-time. John was devastated; he was devastated because his boss cut his hours and didn’t even let him know. As a result of John not coming up with the complete amount of the transplant the doctors will not perform the surgery. John can’t believe that his son ( Michael who John has a proper relation to the cosmos and the greater scheme of the web of life by John already living his life and wanting his son to fulfill his life. John doesn’t care about anything else other than his son fulfilling his life.) is about to die and the doctors are not taking in consideration that John has some of the money, but not all and they still can’t perform the transplant. John says, “All his life, he has tried to do the right thing.” John feels the doctors don’t treat the people as they deserve. He feels they can do a better job in letting the community know about the different health plans, they can let the public know that HMO (medical coverage) is suited to pay there doctors not to test, because it would bring the cost down. As a result of there doctors not testing; the HMO give the doctors a big bonus at the end of the year. All John would have liked was for his boss and the people at the hospital to explain the different medical care services they have and try in the there best power to give Michael the transplant, so he gets an extra chance of living.

With time and options running out, John makes a desperate gamble in hope that the doctors would perform the transplant by taking the emergency room hostage. While John was performing this terrible action he was not being a rational or reasonable person. He was not being a rational or reasonable person because he wants to do anything he can to keep his son alive. No one can relate to how he feels. He is in a whole different world. John sees this hostage situation as a way of the doctors doing what he says; by John taking these people hostages, John has no intentions on hurting them. He is out of control, but has a view of the overall picture. John knows by him putting his life on the line he has a chance for his son to live. John will do anything so that his son will live.

John Q. is a movie that has some ethical dilemmas in it. John Archibald was faced with the biggest situation to deal with. His son is on the verge of dying; if John does not come up with $250,000 for a heart transplant. Mr. Archibald did what he felt was the best thing to do at that time; holding people hostage. He was absolutely wrong for keeping those people hostage. There are no words to justify what he did. John should have handled the situation much differently than keeping innocent people hostage. John should have gone to the media. He should have gone to the mayor, government, and congressman. He should have done that to let the public know that he was being treated unfairly. John actions were not handled properly; he was not an ethical person at all by performing the actions he did.

John Q.,also had a virtue