MovieChat Forums > The Saint (1997) Discussion > Heart Condition

Heart Condition

posted 13 years ago by Heybartender
6 replies | jump to latest

I found this extremely unrealistic. What kind of serious heart condition permits the afflicted to RUN around in freezing temperatures the way Dr. Russell manages to do? It also ceases to be an issue the instant she takes a pill. Her symptoms suggest a panic disorder, in my opinion - something psychological. I imagine the pills function as a placebo, calming her down. She herself admits that she's got some social anxiety, and panic attacks are very often mistaken for cardiac issues. Why else would the "heart condition" have magically disappeared at the end?

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] vestdennis 13 years ago

I agree Hap DArmond: I take medication for my heart (a-fib bouts) and I find nothing usual about her "heart condition". I know one thing: her smashing good looks gave me a heart condition!

[–] Redux006 12 years ago

Well in the end, we find out she suddenly does not require her pills anymore. Apparently they were saying her condition was actually a broken heart, or a longing heart, or something like that, and meeting Simon cured her.

[–] always_keep_fighting 10 years ago

I've lived with panic disorder with agoraphobia for over 25 years, and while I know that there are ignorant people everywhere...and lots of them post on IMDb...I am always irritatedwhen someone with a tiny bit of knowledge about panic attacks starts mouthing off about magic pills and the placebo effect making these panic attacks just disappear. The vast majority of people with panic disorder have a chemical imbalance in their body or brain that cause a surge of adrenaline and other chemicals to surge through their body and brain. This causes a "fight or flight" reaction even when there is no cause for one. A CHEMICAL imbalance. NOT some silly flight of imagination. Would you tell a diabetic or a cancer patient that "it's all in their head" and give them sugar pills instead of insulin or chemo?
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. You should make sure you know what you're talking about before just tossing out stupidity.
I have 2 friends with heart conditions. Both are more active than I am, and neither leaves home without their meds. So I have NO problem believing that Emma could both run thru the snow AND need meds for her heart.

[–] testocles_gagamemnon 10 years ago

Saints are typically expected to perform healing miracles of some sort - that's what this was - a healing miracle.

Don't expect it to make sense - it wasn't panic attacks etc. It was the "healing miracle" part of Simon qualifying as a saint.

[–] PaladinNJ (21781) 6 years ago

Originally Elizabeth Shue's character as not intended to survive. I believe the heart condition was the out to dispose of her.