Denzel Washington’s ‘most underrated movie’ of all time has dropped on Netflix, but its Rotten Tomatoes score has left people surprised.
The most underrated film of Denzel’s is a rare claim considering he is arguably one of, if not, the greatest actor of all time.
Add to that the 60+ projects he has appeared in over a 45-year career, including The Equalizer, American Gangster, and Malcolm X.
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Many feel, however, that his outing in John Q is the most underrated he’s ever acted in as the movie was added to Netflix.
The film, added yesterday to the streamer, follows Washington as a father whose young son cannot afford a heart transplant.
That won’t stop him though, as Washington’s titular character John ends up taking several members of the hostage until they agree to his demands.
You can watch the trailer here:
He is joined by an all star cast including Robert Duvall, James Woods, Kimberly Elise, and Anne Heyce.
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One viewer tweeted: “John Q is one of the most underrated movies in Denzel’s filmography.”
The film has an average rating of 7.1 on IMDb, with one 8/10 review calling it a ‘effecting drama’. They went on to say: “the intense direction and first-rate performances make this film work.
“I particularly loved Denzel's work here because this was a character unlike he had ever played before. An emotional drama, wrought with tension, that will rivet you to the screen.”
One viewer on Twitter was discussing how Denzel’s filmography is so deep that fans could have any order of top ten imaginable, with another quoting it saying: “Such a great point. Literally hasn't missed in 4 decades.
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“You can blindly choice any Denzel movie and you will never be disappointed. One of his lowest rotten tomatoes scores is John Q. Which is lowkey one of my favorite movies.”
Despite this being a common opinion, the film received a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 26 per cent.
This puts it lower than Batman v Superman, lower than Joker 2, and only 2 per cent higher than The Room – the consensus worst film of all time.
Roger Ebert, the legendary film critic, gave the film 1.5/4 stars, saying: “It is so earnest, so overwrought and so wildly implausible that it begs to be parodied.”
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Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times gave the film one star, saying: “So ham-fisted that it sabotages its own worthwhile arguments.”
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone concurred, saying in his review: “An exploitative mess trying to pass as social activism.”
Despite this, more than 20 years on it remains relevant and loved by fans, with it debuting at number nine in Netflix’s charts.
After all, it still has a 73 per cent 'Popcornmeter' - which has got to be something.
John Q is available to watch on Netflix now.
Topics: Rotten Tomatoes, Netflix, Film, TV and Film
Michael Slavin