Peaceful Warrior

Peaceful Warrior follows Dan Millman, a gifted college gymnast whose life of trophies, teammates, motorcycles and parties has left him chasing an Olympic place. A late-night encounter at a gas station with an older stranger who calls himself Socrates unsettles him, and the meeting proves to be the turning point the athlete did not see coming. After a serious injury puts his career in doubt, Dan turns to Socrates, whose lessons in strength and awareness are as much mental as physical, and to a young woman named Joy, to find out whether he can compete again.

The film was directed by Victor Salva, whose earlier credits include Clownhouse, Powder and the two Jeepers Creepers films; it sits between Jeepers Creepers 2 and Rosewood Lane in his filmography. Kevin Bernhardt wrote the screenplay, and the cast is led by Scott Mechlowicz as Dan, Nick Nolte as Socrates and Amy Smart as Joy, with Tim DeKay, Ashton Holmes and Paul Wesley in supporting roles.

Released in 2006 and running two hours, it is a German and American drama. On IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from roughly 31,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.5 out of 10 from around 500 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 4.6 out of 10 from 70 reviews, a clear gap between professional and audience response.