Peaceful Warrior (2006)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Victor Salva

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Bernhardt (screenplay)
Dan Millman (novel)

Release Date:

13 April 2007 (Mexico)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

There are no ordinary moments.

Plot:

A chance encounter with a stranger changes the life of a college gymnast. |

Plot Keywords:

Gymnast | College | Athlete | Alcohol | Training

Cast

Scott Mechlowicz	...	Dan Millman
Nick Nolte	...	Socrates
Amy Smart	...	Joy
Tim DeKay	...	Coach Garrick
Ashton Holmes	...	Tommy
Paul Wesley	...	Trevor
B.J. Britt	...	Kyle
Agnes Bruckner	...	Susie
Tom Tarantini	...	Thug with Gun
Beatrice Rosen	...	Dory
Ray Wise	...	Doctor Hayden
Scott Caudill	...	Thug One (as Scott 'Jesic' Caudill)
Matthew Prater	...	Thug Two (as Matthew John Prater)
Bart Conner	...	Himself
Jimmy Bradley	...	Commentator One

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sensuality, sex references and accident scenes.

Runtime:

USA:120 min | Argentina:120 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Fullerton, California, USA

Company:

DEJ Productions

Trivia:

Mark Amin, a producer, appears as a service station customer in the car while Dan is 'holding the pose.'

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Just after Millman is rejected by the Coach in the Olympic letter scene, Millman and Socrates are talking in the Service Station. Behind Millman, Socratese is reflected in the glass of the window. His lips are moving and he shakes his hand but the audio has no dialog from Socrates at that exact moment. In the final scenes, when we see the gym and the Olympic try outs, we hear cheers and applause, but only the people sitting in the first three or four rows of the audience directly in front of the viewer are clapping.

Quotes:

Socrates: Death isn't sad. The sad thing is: most people don't live at all.

Movie Connections:

References The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

A Great Film with an Important Message

I've long been a fan of the book upon which this film is based -- Dan Millman's The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

If you've read the book, you know its central lesson is learning how to live in the moment.

Filled with memorable aphorisms, the book is part novel, part autobiography, and part spiritual guidebook -- and I have to admit that I was nervous about how the book would translate to the big screen.

But I was lucky enough to catch an advance screening of the film. And for fans of the book like me -- and people who've never read it -- this film delivers.

Nick Nolte's performance as Socrates is one of the best he's ever given. Scott Mechlowicz does a great job showing us the transformation of Dan Millman. And the feeling one has when one walks out of the theater-- of wanting to seize every moment that life offers you-- is a feeling that we don't get often enough. That feeling is worth the price of admission alone.

Peaceful Warrior is that rare film that manages to be hugely inspirational without being cheesy. It's well worth seeing.