Peaceful Warrior (2006)

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

Director:

Victor Salva

Writers:

Kevin Bernhardt (screenplay), Dan Millman (novel)

Stars:

Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Self
Jimmy Bradley	...	Commentator One

Storyline

Dan Millman has it all: good grades, a shot at the Olympic team on the rings and girls lining up for the handsome Berkely college athlete all teams mates look up to with envy. Only one man shakes his confidence, an anonymous night gas station attendant, who like Socrates, keeps questioning every assumption in his life. Then a traffic crash shatters Dan's legs, and his bright future. Now Socrates's life coaching is to make or break Dan's revised ambition.

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Plot Keywords:

comeback | olympics | college | self doubt | fear | 

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Taglines:

Hopes, Dreams,l There Are No Ordinary Moments.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

In the conversation with his coach, Dan's first tear disappears between shots.

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Quotes

Socrates: The habit is the problem. All you need to do is be conscious about your choices and responsible for your actions.

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Connections

References The Karate Kid (1984)

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Soundtracks

PP1000
Written by Keith Prokup and Greg Danylyshyn (as Greg Danylshyn)
Performed by Rocket Air
Published by Why Why Why Music (ASCAP) and Honey Wagon Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of 4Music

User Reviews

The first spiritually oriented movie that really works!

I was invited to a screening of The Peaceful Warrior in NYC Thursday April 13th, having just learned of this film's existence a few days earlier.

I was looking forward to the film, but with some trepidation, considering that prior attempts at communicating spiritually oriented books or ideas had fallen short of my expectations and had fundamentally failed to convey to the audience a transforming inner experience; witness What the Bleep, Siddhartha, Little Buddha, and others.

Let me say this, simply and directly. They got it right this time, and they did it in a way which could be embraced by crowds at the multiplexes. By impressing the discovery of bona fide spiritual truths on a recognizable sports template, the movie makers will be carrying under-appreciated ideas and experiences to the masses. At least I hope so! I actually woke up early the morning after seeing this, with my mind full of things I might say in an exhaustive review. Never in my life have I felt that way about a movie before.

The reason this movie succeeds is that it follows one of the most basic rules for good story-telling: it shows rather than tells. Although some fundamental spiritual ideas are described with words, it is the plot and character development that proves the truth of those words. You see the transcendence and the realizations in the faces of the characters, and you are not left to wonder why. You understand.

The story, based on a book by Dan Millman, follows a college gymnast who has great potential but whose desire for success is one of the main obstacles standing in the way of that potential. In his mindless pursuit of a goal, he becomes sucked into the deep dark hole of life-is-what-happens-while-you're-making-other-plans. In its simplest message, our hero's real challenge is to find happiness by being present and finding interest and love for what's right in front of him.

The film doesn't try to oversimplify the content of a spiritual path into a single dogma; there are many other seeds of thought strewn along the path by Socrates, each of which could have been the basis for a different struggle to transcend relative unconsciousness.

For many years I have been convinced that non-religious spiritual thought and experience could be something to drive the world in a new direction. This movie provides an example of what life can be like if we ponder these thoughts and implement them in our lives in a concrete and practical way. It's not necessary to be a champion gymnast to derive the fundamental teachings from this film. It is a teaching that anyone can understand. This is why I see that The Peaceful Warrior can inspire those who embrace the possibilities which it offers to become peaceful guerrilla warriors, working tirelessly underneath the radar, changing the world.

This is not only a good movie, it's an important one.

Details

Official Sites:

Author Dan Millman's Official site. Official distributor's page for the film. [United States]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Peaceful Warrior

Filming Locations:

Fullerton, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$80,602, 4 June 2006

Gross USA:

$3,960,414

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,326,927

Company Credits

Production Co:

DEJ Productions, FortyFour Studios, Inferno Distribution

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1