Peace Warrior Movie Review

It is not often that I need to close my eyes during a movie to avoid seeing a potentially disturbing scene. Watching "Peaceful Warrior", I not only closed my eyes a few times, I had to tell myself, "This is just a movie. It is not real". A suspenseful struggle on the ledge of a tall building was that intense. Scott Mechlowicz's acting made his character, Dan, believable. "What do you do if you can't do what you were born to do?", Dan asks after his leg is shattered due to an accident, ending his lifelong aspiration to become an Olympic Gold Medalist. Distraught and suicidal, he limped up the tower stairs intending to end his life.

"Peaceful Warrior" seems almost like a Sci-Fi thriller. In reality the movie is based on the book "Way of the Peaceful Warrior", a fictionized autobiography of author, Dan Millman. Mr. Millman was a gymnast, winning the "World Trampoline Championship" in London in 1964 and he didsuffer a broken leg. Mr. Millman believes the proverb, "Art is a lie that helps us see the truth.". "Peaceful Warrior" does not tell truth, it shows truth through breathtaking special effects or cinematic works of art. The fictional Dan is playfully called "lord of the rings" because that is his gymnast specialty. In one scene Dan is perfecting his talent in the pouring rain. The scene fades with the sound of the deluge so that you are in the storm, not sitting in a movie theatre watching the storm on the screen. A bee buzzing, star filled night sky and slow motion as a dog catches a frisbee are some examples of the small touches that add to the films beauty.

The movie centers on Dan's relationship with a man he sarcastically named, Socrates (Nick Nolte). Jogging at 3AM after a disturbing nightmare, Dan stops in a Texaco station to buy snacks at the mini-mart. This is where Dan first meets Socrates. The real Dan did meet an old man at a Texaco station, but this is where truth and fiction diverge. The nightmare is strangely prophetic, which sets the stage for the rest of the film. As reality and dreams blend, Dan thinks he is losing his mind. Socrates tells him, "Sometimes you have to lose your mind to come to your senses".

Dan is a college student, self-assured and arrogant. During a bar scene, the gymnasts have an endurance contest by balancing a mug of beer on each foot, while doing hand-stand push-ups. This wins the admiration of the young women, who like their fit bodies. They especially admire Dan. As Dan tells Socrates he only sleeps alone when he really wants to be alone. This causes a fight with his gymnast teammates when he betrays one of them Socrates tells Dan he is not happy, which causes Dan to lose his temper. Dan has no use for Socrates, but is intrigued by the mysterious gas station owner. Yet he turns down Socrates offer to mentor him, to help him win that coveted Olympic Gold Medal. Of course his accident changes everything.

I especially like the scene where Socrates and Dan hike for 3 hours. Socrates has promised to show Dan something very special. Dan loses his temper, but soon understands the lesson. Choosing Scott Mechlowicz to play Dan as the good-looking ladies man was an excellent choice. This could be his breakthrough movie, making him the next Brad Pitt type hearthrob. He bears an uncanny resemblance to the real Dan. They even have the same nose. The book and the movie were made to inspire people to be the best they can be in whatever they endeavor to do. If you like mindless flicks, this is not the movie for you. But if you enjoy movies that make you think, stretch your imagination and inspire, do not miss it!