Introduction: Nick Cassavetes' film uses the pentadic structure to establish meaning using the purposive approach. Agent, agency, act and scene are still present; however, they are not the focus of the story. John Q aligns perfectly with the dramatic perspective. The purpose of this film review is to conduct a dramatic analysis of John Q, looking at how the concepts of the pentad and absolution from guilt serve to justify John's criminal actions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Background: The film opens with a woman driving recklessly on a mountain highway. After being hit by two trucks, she is killed. John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise witness their young son Michael collapse during his baseball game. After a series of tests at the hospital, John is informed by the doctor that Michael has an enlarged heart and will need a transplant. However, because the company he works for dropped John from full-time to part-time, his health insurance was changed and the new policy does not cover the surgery, leaving them to collect 30% of the $250,000 to get the son's name. on the donor list. The family tries to raise the money but can barely cover a third of the necessary payment. Eventually the hospital gets tired of waiting and decides to release Michael, this leads Denise to tell John to "do something". Thesis Statement: Unwilling to let his son die and with no options, John enters the hospital with locks, chains, and a firearm to hold everyone hostage. Dealing with police Lieutenant Grimes, John reveals that all he wants is for his son to be put on the donor list to receive a new heart. After realizing that the police don't care whether John's son lives or not, he makes a new request to take his son to the emergency room with him. Evidence and Quotes: Once his son arrives, John reveals to the hostages his intention to commit suicide so that his heart can be used to save his son. He convinces Doctor Turner to perform the operation, and two of his hostages bear witness to a will containing his final request. John goes to say goodbye to Michael for the last time and goes to the operating room. He loads a bullet into the gun and pulls the trigger but the safety is on. As he puts the gun to his head for the second time and prepares to take his own life, his wife is told about a woman killed in a car accident, the one from the opening scene, who appears to have the same blood type as Michael, and was transported to hospital for organ recovery. He runs to the emergency room and stops John from shooting himself, and John allows the hostages to free themselves. Michael is entrusted with the life-saving operation and, after witnessing the procedure with Denise, John is taken into police custody. The pentad, containing act, agent, agency, scene, and purpose, can be applied to John Q to understand why John's violation of social norms is justified. The act is simply behavior that breaks social norms, and in this case the act is clearly John taking everyone in the emergency room hostage. Normally, this is something that would not be accepted by society. John ignores the fact that there are other people on the recipient list who are no less deserving than his son Mike. The officer is the person who committed the illicit behavior and is undoubtedly John Archibald. Agency denotes the tools and means that the agent uses. John uses locks and chains to prevent his hostages from escaping and a weapon fromfire to keep them under his control. He also uses the telephone to communicate with people outside the hospital, most often with the police. The scene is the hospital, since it is the environment in which the behavior takes place. The scene is kind or ironic because people go to the hospital to get treatment and feel better, but here they are held hostage in this very sanctuary. Purpose, which is the most vital aspect of the pentad in this film, concerns why the agent engages in rule-breaking behavior. Comment: John's justification for his criminal acts is that he has been wronged by the healthcare system. No one was willing to look beyond dollar signs and help his son, so he put the lives of others, as well as his own, in danger for the sake of his endangered son. All five aspects of the pentad form the basis for John's absolution from guilt. Topic Sentence: The message of the film is that if a person is in a difficult enough situation, they will do whatever it takes to protect their loved ones. This can easily be seen in this movie. Commentary: Throughout the film, John is portrayed as a kind-hearted, hard-working, and productive member of society. The last thing you would think he would do is take over a hospital at gunpoint. He did what he had to do to keep his son from dying. This is why purpose is the most important of the five aspects of the pentad because it justifies its actions. Everything she did was to save her young boyfriend's life. Even when John took hostages, he was kind to them. John and the eleven hostages communicate and learn more and more from each other. They begin to understand John's situation and support him a little while he makes sure each of them gets the treatment they came to the emergency room for. He got them the medical care they went to the hospital to seek even while they were his “hostages.” Not only had the hostages and huge crowd gathered around the hospital hoping that John would get what he wanted, but I myself as a viewer was actually hoping that he would get his son's transplant. The film made me think that if the American healthcare system was more like Canada's, low-income families wouldn't be forced to take desperate actions in desperate situations like the one depicted in this film. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Concluding Paragraph: John Q is a dangerous and heartfelt example of dramatics. It's hard, as a viewer, not to root for John as he takes matters into his own hands. In fact even his hostages after being released; tell journalists that John is a great man, a sort of hero. Towards the end of the film the viewer even discovers that John's gun was not loaded with ammunition the entire time and that he never intended to kill anyone. He was simply doing what was necessary to get the police to comply with his demands. The dramaturgical concept of the pentad can easily be applied to John Q, with the key point being that the purpose of the hostage situation is to put Mike's name on the list of recipients of the heart. Furthermore, John's guilt can be absolved by viewing him as motivated by transcendence (his son's life) or the victim's age (the healthcare system failed his family). It's also important to note the film's potential implications, such as criticism of the American healthcare system and growing vigilantism in the country. Bibliography John Q. Dir. Nick. Cassavetes. Np, 2002. Film.IntroductionShould follow an "inverted" triangle format, meaning the writer should begin so.