It stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a man who takes a hospital emergency room hostage in order for his son to receive a heart transplant.

A young woman in a white BMW 5 Series[3] drives recklessly on a mountainous winding road; she collides with a truck and is killed instantly.

Weeks earlier in Chicago, factory worker John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise rush their young son Michael to the hospital after he collapses at his baseball game.

A nurse even reveals that Michael's condition could have been detected earlier during routine checkups, but the doctor had not recommended additional testing, to get bonuses from the insurance company in exchange for helping maintain their profit.

Overriding Grimes, Monroe has a SWAT sniper enter the ER via an air shaft, luring John into the line of fire with a call from Denise.

As night falls, Michael is removed from the ICU and brought to the ER in exchange for the sniper's release, while Denise waits at the police command post along with her and John's friends Jimmy and Gina Palumbo.

He says his goodbyes to Michael, and prepares to end his own life using the only bullet he brought, when Denise brings news that the heart of a recently deceased organ donor – the woman who drove the BMW – is on the way.

Three months later, John's actions have sparked national debate about healthcare, and in court his family, friends and all the hostages testify on his behalf at trial.

They also mentioned how SWAT team advisors for the film related a similar true incident in Toronto, where a man (Henry Masuka) took an ER hostage after it would not provide immediate service to his infant son on New Year's Eve 1999.