Spiritual Warriors

I saw this movie in October 2007 and have been thinking about it ever since. I loved it! It really shook me up in places (in a good way, it truly jolted me). I found it shocking some of the action, the repeated past life images really jolted me like some kind of Universal Psychic Nudge. I loved Finn the character, he seemed so ordinary - so very human, like anybody, so ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. Very scary scenes about illusion and the dark side. I loved the special effects about his spiritual experiences, hmmmm. I found it amazing how this action-packed movie also had humor, kindness, and I loved how Finn opened up to us through his psychiatrist (reminded me of the Sopranos). There were very subtle teachings of spirituality gently woven into it, not preachy at all, instead, handsome actors, dramatic story-line, fast women, true good versus evil, great film. After I saw it, I couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks, and have wanted to see it again ever since (over half a year) I want to see it on the big screen again, soon. Highly recommended!

Independent filmmakers are eternal optimists. They start with an idea, develop a plot, create a script, beg, borrow or bury themselves in debt to translate words into images, sweat through casting, assembling a crew, shooting schedules and editing the raw material into a finished product.   Once their personal vision is completed, the independent filmmakers beg some more, knock on doors and try to find a distributor that shares their dream or at least, is willing to gamble on the financial success of their creation.   In the end, reality slaps the filmmaker in the chin. Most independent projects are hampered by amateur script writers, mediocre acting, inexperienced directing and poor camera work. Great visions become predictable mediocrities.   Yet, every so often, the charcoal does become the diamond, glittering, beautiful, the images on screen telling a worthwhile story that makes the viewer think that this particular filmmaker has managed to bare his soul and reach his audience.   "Spiritual Warriors" is such a film, a low budget diamond with a high carat profile. The plot tells the story of Finn, a street wise, unknown actor who makes a living delivering cocaine for a drug dealer until he bumps into a strange, mystical character –Roger- who has the appearance of a refugee from the original Woodstock, a Santa Claus type beachcomber who seems to be functioning at a metaphysical level in a realm between quaint charm and perplexing intrusion as he chats away in a variety of accents that includes British, Pakistani and regular English with John Wayne imitations.   So begins a journey that takes mentor and student from every day reality to faraway lands of pyramids and special effect visions that range from Freemason symbolism to past lives of ancient reincarnations. There is a dose of Atlantis thrown in and an epic final struggle between the shallow actor transformed into a hero and an evil entity representing the dark forces that dwell around us and within us.   "Spiritual Warriors" is not moronic, spoon fed entertainment, but a film that makes the viewer think. As Finn talks to a psychiatrist, one wonders if the actor is living a real epic quest or whether the demons, reincarnations and events are a figment of delusional schizophrenia enhanced by too many powdered toots from the bags he has delivered for the tough looking mobster.   Yet, it matters not what the reality of Finn's real world is, for this is a movie about awareness of self, about grasping one's inner identity, identifying the core of the individual soul that makes each of us unique. It is not precisely a religious movie, for it dwells into several levels of religious consciousness, from the Hindu reincarnation to Christian symbolisms, perhaps seeking to identify the concept of God as a totality of the whole, rather than labeling it into a single definition.   The movie –still seeking one of those elusive bean counters known as distributors- works because it is the end product of seasoned professionals who have years of experience in the film industry.   Jsu Garcia who plays Finn with likable panache is also the co-author of the script and co- producer of the film. Garcia is a veteran actor with over fifty film credits. He was Captain Nadal in the Mel Gibson film "We Were Soldiers," Roman in "Collateral Damage," Pablo Obregon in "Traffic," Javier in "Along Came Polly" and gained praised for his portrayal of guerrilla leader Che Guevara in Andy Garcia's "Lost City."  He has honed his craft working with some of the top directors in the trade, including Francis Ford Coppola.   Garcia is the production and co-scriptwriting partner of John-Roger, an author, philosopher and founder of the Movement of Spiritual Awareness, an organization created in 1968, in which the actor has been involved for over two decades. "Spiritual Warriors" is their first feature film collaboration.   The part of Roger -Finn's mentor- is portrayed by Roger Easton, one of the top voice coaches in the movie industry, a solid performer with over one hundred film credits in his resume in a career stretching six decades. His spiritual guru is a likable, fascinating character.   The film, loaded with very good special effects in spite of its modest –less than a million dollar- budget was shot in high definition by Evan Nesbitt, a craftsman, with impressive location scenes shot in Jordan, Syria and Egypt.   If the movie has a minor flaw –as all films do- is the occasional, unnecessary use of a narrator to read a thought flashed on screen as well as one or two scenes that could be edited shorter, although the editing is first rate and the transition between scenes is very well executed.     Other members of the cast include veteran actors Christopher Atkins, Leigh Taylor-Young, Shyla Cruize and acting coach Howard Fine playing himself.   ========================================================= ==. Enrique Encinosa, an on air personality for Univision Radio in Miami, is the author of six books and four documentary scripts. ========================================================= =.

To begin with, this film was shot with a less than capable eye for film-making. It felt like it was made by a ten year old with a flip camera. The plot, if you can call it that, is loaded with holes and what most would call an unwatchable film. Spiritual Warriors is a spiritual mess. The only saving grace of the film was when it finished. It's one of those films that you don't even want to watch the credits role. You really just want to role the DVD down the street. I am truly amazed and dumbfounded at all of the positive comments posted on this film. It leads me to believe that they were written by the same persons, perhaps the same crack smoking clowns involved in making this "film". It's an offense to other movies to call it a film. For this review's sake we'll call it "the mess"

To break it down, one review was accurate when it said it jumped from one monologue to another within one scene while causing the watcher utter confusion and discomfort with its bad special effects and even worse writing.

Just because a filmmaker(s) is spiritual, and wants to deal with the beliefs of certain individuals, it doesn't mean that they should go out and attempt to make a movie out of it. I'm spiritual but I'm not going to crucify a bunch of people by making them sit through a terrible mess of this "mess".

In short this mess/film doesn't even deserve a shelf life at your local video store. A message to all wanting to watch Spiritual Warriors: Don't! Go out and help out at your local shelter or perhaps an older retirement community. Trust me. You'll get more out of it. And a message to the "filmmaker(s)": This film should serve as a reminder and a firm example. Just because you want to do something doesn't mean you should attempt to do it. Fimmaking is an art. It takes an artist. Sprituality is beautiful. It takes beauty. But Spiritual Warriors manages to strip both of these timeless things down in only 100 minutes.

PS - to the filmmaker(s) of Spiritual Warriors. You're not a warrior. You're a little toy soldier who should put down the flip camera and pick up The Godfather.

Gives valuable lessons in a very entertaining way. Some spiritual movies are dry and preachy. This one has a clear message about how to live a more fulfilling life, yet it is presented in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. Elements of humor, drama, adventure -- it has it all. For my taste, a few too many visual special effects, but that may be what's needed to keep the video-game generation interested. Look at "Huck Finn" -- hardly the king's English, but Twain's style made it more broadly appealing, which helped to expose the important themes to a wider audience. This movie has a refreshing new perspective, especially these days when so many other "new" movies are actually thoughtless remakes. Looking forward to more from this crew.

This movie was thought-provoking. It was different. It was powerful. It's refreshing to see a different take on archetypal images. It's one of those movies I thought about for days later. Some of the special effects had an effect--on me. Thought-provoking images. Some were expansive. Some were just wow--in subtle ways. One image toward the end of the movie (I won't give it away) was worth the whole film. I liked the practical, subtle humor of the Roger character, little subtle things that made me chuckle (and make me think) about funny human behaviors, and that balanced out the other dramas taking place in the story. Some of the flash-back scenes were powerful to watch and got me thinking. I loved the way the Roger character was portrayed, his gentleness, peacefulness--and his down to earth humor! I liked the way some spiritual truths, posed loosely in the film, was developed in a "real" story with "real" people working it--or attempting to work it out. One pretty basic psychological truth most people have probably heard before jumped out to me. I saw something differently. In the end, I'd have to say my favorite scenes were some of the special effect images and the down-to-earth Roger character!