It's getting to be something of a habit for Denzel Washington. Somehow the Oscar-winning actor can take a rather lackluster film — or in some cases, a really awful one — and make it better by simply being in it.

Sadly, "John Q" is just the latest example of a movie that doesn't really deserve another terrific Washington performance. The film is a manipulative, touchy-feely drama that attempts to meld elements of "Dog Day Afternoon" and "a very special episode of 'ER,' " with decidedly uneven results.

As good as Washington is, he can't stop "John Q's" slide into mediocrity, as it becomes progressively more heavy-handed, clich�d, preachy and preposterous — and may even send the wrong message to its audience.

Also, it doesn't do justice to a subject — the nation's health-care crisis — that deserves a more intelligent, balanced and creative treatment than it gets here.

Washington stars as the title character, John Q. Archibald, an Illinois steelworker who's finding it difficult to make ends meet. His hours and benefits have been slashed dramatically and his creditors have begun repossessing everything his family owns.

Things are about to get much worse, however. During a Little League baseball game, his seemingly healthy son (Daniel E. Smith) collapses. It turns out the boy has degenerative heart problems, which are so severe that if he doesn't get a transplant and soon, he'll die.

Unfortunately, thanks to his rather tenuous financial situation, John is unable to pay for the procedure, and the heartless hospital administrator (Anne Heche) and surgeon (James Woods) are unwilling to cut him any slack.

So, armed with a gun, John storms the hospital's emergency room, taking the patients and doctors hostage. And the only person who may be able to defuse the situation is a veteran cop (Robert Duvall) whose superiors are pressuring him to come up with a quick, and possibly lethal, resolution.

To be fair to Washington and director Nick Cassavetes, they're working with an awful script that practically hammers home its message. And the incredibly strident musical score doesn't help.

Plus, Washington and Duvall never really share much screen time — something that might have saved the film from itself. Instead, a lot of screentime goes to the irritating Eddie Griffin, who seems to be in the movie to provide unnecessary comic relief.

"John Q" is rated PG-13 for graphic gore (mostly hospital gore), violence (gunfire, a vicious beating and automotive mayhem), occasional use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word) and use of some vulgar slang terms and gestures. Running time: 115 minutes.

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