A desperate father holds a hospital hostage, fighting a broken system to save his son's life.
Tense and earnest. A full-attention watch at a brisk pace. Emotionally it is devastating.
Streaming on Starz and YouTube (free).
No surprises for a PG-13: no sex or nudity and some strong language.
Our estimate: fine from about 13. Rated PG-13.
How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.
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.
Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.
The Departed (2006)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingUndercover lives collide in a gritty, relentless game of cat and mouse within Boston's criminal underworld.
Prisoners (2013)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA father's desperate search for his missing daughter descends into a bleak, gritty, and atmospheric nightmare.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA brilliant, imprisoned psychopath offers chilling insights into a serial killer's mind, if a young agent dares to listen.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)Gritty · strong violence · emotionally devastating · relentlessA desperate bank robbery becomes a media spectacle as a man's true motives are slowly revealed.
The Usual Suspects (1995)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA low-level con man's intricate tale of a mythic crime lord unravels with gritty, suspenseful precision.
Wrath of Man (2021)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA mysterious cash truck guard unleashes precise, brutal skills while settling a score in gritty Los Angeles.
Joker (2019)Bleak · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA measured descent into madness unfolds as a comedian's dark satire fuels Gotham's gritty, bleak chaos.
Miss Sloane (2016)Tense · emotionally heavy · briskAn unyielding lobbyist takes on the gun industry, navigating a world of tense, gritty political maneuvering.John Q is on our Starz, Thriller on Starz, Drama on Starz and Crime on Starz lists.
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Lists with the same feel: Tearjerkers and Stressful.
Say the mood. Five picks with where they stream, right here.
Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.
