Plot
A reckless motorist in a white BMW 5 Series [3] is killed in a collision on the freeway.
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. Cardiologist Dr. Raymond Turner and administrator Rebecca Payne tell John and Denise that Michael needs a heart transplant, at a cost of $250,000, or he will die.
However, the couple are behind on their house and car payments and have only $1,000 in savings, and the hospital requires a $75,000 down payment simply to place Michael on the organ transplant list. To make matters worse, John's health insurance will not cover the surgery due to them changing his policy as a result of them switching insurance carriers and reducing his working hours.
The couple attempts to raise the money, but they exhaust all avenues and still come up short. Upon learning the hospital intends to send Michael home to die, in desperation, John takes Dr. Turner and several patients and staff hostage at gunpoint in the ER, demanding that Payne put Michael's name on the transplant list. Police negotiator Lt. Frank Grimes makes contact with John.
Grimes clashes with his superior Chief Gus Monroe over the handling of the siege. Most of the hostages sympathize with John and reflect on the flaws of America's healthcare system. 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.
After agreeing to release some of the patients, John is attacked by hostage Mitch, but Mitch's abused girlfriend Julie helps subdue him. John releases expectant couple Steve and Miriam and immigrant mother Rosa with her infant son, who all declare their support for John to the news crews outside. Grimes and Payne tell Denise about John's act. Payne places Michael on the list to perform the operation pro bono.
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. John speaks with Michael as his condition worsens, while a news crew hacks the police surveillance feed and broadcasts John's conversation with his family. John discovers the hacked news footage just as the sniper fires, wounding him in the shoulder.
John overpowers the sniper and uses him as a human shield as he reiterates his demands in front of a cheering crowd. 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.
John reveals his intention to die by suicide so that Michael can have his heart. He also reveals that his gun was empty all along. He persuades Turner to perform the operation, and Julie and security guard Max bear witness to John's impromptu will. 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 motorist – is on the way.
Once the heart arrives, John releases the hostages, including patient Lester, who surrenders to police posing as John. John, posing as a surgeon, accompanies Michael to the operating room where Grimes, who noticed the switch, allows him to watch Michael's operation before arresting him.
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. John is acquitted of attempted murder and armed criminal action, but convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment. His lawyer assures him that he will likely serve no more than two years.
As John is escorted from the courthouse, Lester proclaims him as a hero, and a now-healthy Michael makes eye contact with John, thanking John for saving his life.
