Peaceful Warrior [WS]

Director: Victor Salva Victor Salva

Overview

Jeepers Creepers director Victor Salva takes a break from the horror to offer an inspirational tale about the remarkable power of the human spirit as the pages of Dan Millman's best-selling autobiographical novel come to life onscreen in this life-affirming film starring Nick Nolte, Scott Mechlowicz, and Amy Smart. A talented college gymnast with serious Olympic aspirations, Dan Millman (Mechlowicz) leads a charmed life of first-place trophies, fast girls, and rowdy parties until a career-threatening injury and a chance meeting with a mysterious stranger named Socrates (Nolte) show him how little he truly knows about living. In the months that follow his tragic injury, both Socrates and elusive beauty Joy (Smart) impart to the growing young man the wisdom that he needs to leave the past behind and follow the path of destiny and fulfill his transformation into the peaceful warrior.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/26/2007
UPC:	0025195009126
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00
Sales rank:	27,611

Special Features

Deleted scenes; The journey: Meet the cast and crew who brought this inspiring film to life; Developing Your warrior: Discover the widespread impact of the book and movie!; Book to screen: Select a passage from the book and then watch it come to life on-screen!; Music video: Michelle Featherstone's "I'm There Too

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nick Nolte	Socrates
Scott Mechlowicz	Dan Millman
Amy Smart	Joy
Tim DeKay	Coach Garrick
Ashton Holmes	Tommy Warner
Agnes Bruckner	Susie
B.J. Britt	Kyle Williams
Ray Wise	Dr. Hayden
Beatrice Rosen	Dory
Tom Tarantini	Thug with Gun
Paul Wesley	Trevor
Scott Caudill	Thug One
Matthew Prater	Thug Two
Bart Connor	As Himself
Jim Bradley	Commentator One
Dan Millman	Man in Car
Steve Talley	Young Garage Man
Tom Costello	Dan's Neighbor
Karen Landry	Patricia Millman
Rob Moran	Dan Millman Sr.
Chad Nadolski	Medic
Neil Furuno	Gymnast One
Charles Grisham	Bar Patron #1
Tyler Vogt	Bar Patron #2
Scott Mechiowicz	Actor
Bennett Salvay	Composer

Technical Credits

Kevin Berhardt

Bob Dolman

Anthony DiPietro

Kevin Bernhardt

Victor Salva	Director
Kevin Berhardt	Screenwriter
Cami Winikoff	Producer
Robin Schorr	Producer
Mark Amin	Producer
David Welch	Producer,Producer
Mike Elliott	Executive Producer,Stunts
Andrew Reimer	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Oliver Hengst	Executive Producer
Bill Johnson	Executive Producer
Jim Seibel	Executive Producer
Ernst-August Schnieder	Executive Producer
Manny Duran	Key Grip
Jim Foody	Stunts
Bob Dolman	Screenwriter
Shalimar Reodica	Casting
Keith Woulard	Stunts
Brycen Counts	Stunts
Michael Ashe	Stunts
Stephan McCain	Stunts
Anthony DiPietro	Screenwriter
Kanin Howell	Stunts
Gloria O'Brien	Stunts
James Tolins	Stunts
Kevin Bernhardt	Screenwriter
Darren Prescott	Stunts
Alex Chansky	Stunts
Marshall Nelson	Stunts
Steven Morrow	Sound/Sound Designer
Greg Townley	Sound Mixer
Michael Mullane	Sound Editor
Paul Lane	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

You wouldn't guess from the title that Peaceful Warrior is about a gymnast. However, you might guess it's about a journey toward self-actualization that's heavily influenced by eastern philosophy. The film shares many elements with an inspirational sports story like The Karate Kid, with Nick Nolte in the Mr. Miyagi role and Scott Mechlowicz playing Daniel-sahn -- his character's name is actually Dan, and Nolte actually subjects him to scrubbing toilets and other menial tasks, in Mr. Miyagi's "wax on, wax off" school of mental discipline. What Peaceful Warrior doesn't have is The Karate Kid's heart. The key to a movie like this is that you have to like the main character. He may be flawed in his approach to his goals, but he's essentially a good guy. Not so with Dan Millman, who's kind of a prick. He's an Olympics-or-bust hopeful who doesn't seem to care which friends he sabotages on his way to that dream. Naturally, he learns something over the course of his exposure to his eternally wise mentor, but his outlook on the world doesn't shift as radically as the film thinks it does. Millman never seems worthy of the attention of Nolte's character (whom he dubs "Socrates"), especially since one of Socrates' defining traits is his devotion to noble purposes. This is not to say Victor Salva's film is without its charms. The filmmaking showcases plenty of mature narrative technique, and it's actually funny in the moments when it isn't taking itself too seriously. Ultimately, if Peaceful Warrior is worth seeing, it's because of Nolte, who was born to play a grizzled gas station attendant with lightning-quick reflexes and a total awareness of self. The charming Amy Smart, however, is wasted in a secondary role that could have easily been written out of the script.