Highly Recommended...

I just watched the movie Dragon Blade and it was incredible! Jackie Chan (character Huo An) and his wife the multi talented Mika Wang (character Xin Ping and Star Wars alumni animator in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 1) are exactly what I was thinking when I penned the background for Weltherwithsp in the first draft of The Butterfly Dragon II: Dragon Butterfly.

I saw the movie today and was floored by the performances of some of my favorite actors including Jackie Chan of course and John Cusack. Adrien Brody turns in a great performance as the nemesis in this film baring most of the ire and treachery. Xin Ping and Peng Lin (Cold Moon) are incredible and big as life as the heroic Women in Jackie's life. The supporting cast builds a believable cohesion that really comes to fruition throughout the movie.

A highly recommended movie for historical periodic pieces though I can't vouch for the historical accuracy it is certain that the Silk Road is a major influence upon Eastern and Western trade philosophy and an important element in the history of peace through commerce. Perhaps one of the most important lessons in that regard seeing as it is a trade route that predates the Pacific and Atlantic trade routes of the Imperial economy that links East to West. It certainly forms the foundation for what would become the most important aspect of world peace that British Imperialism founded and that was Global trade and the Global economy. Global economy has been the most important aspect towards Global peaceful coexistence empowering the use of peaceful economic sanctions before military force when in Global agreement through United Nations mandate.

I enjoyed it thoroughly and it was definitely my deceased Grandfather's way of speaking to me. Us. I'm sure my family would agree upon seeing the film. Him, and my Grandmothers are reading over my shoulder with every word I pen when I write for my books just as I'm certain Yi is in some way. He was a Jackie Chan fan (perhaps one of the eldest) since Jackie's early career in Western cinema. My Grandfather is a decorated hero of World War II, having run for a large distance with an injured infanteer on his shoulders into the midst of an enemy artillery barrage. He and the man he carried survived and he received a medal for having saved his fellow soldier's life. He served his duty for the entirety of the war only sustaining one injury as a Combat Explosives Engineer. Much like Jackie's peace loving character in the movie, he loved people and children of all cultures and was a Father and Grandfather to an army of Children and Grand Children. I can still hear his heavy French accent when I think about him. He most certainly was all heart and lived that way every day of his life.

Before his retirement he attained the certification of Master Carpenter without formal training (in his late forties), a highly prestigious role in the trades. He worked on many houses post World War II in Toronto and was highly respected by many building companies still in existence today. He would have loved that movie for certain and I'm certain that it was his tears that I cried watching it as much as mine. Thanks to cast and crew for that wonderful film and if I had one wish associated with that film, it would be that my Grandfather Joe was here to see it with me.

I think that he was.

Brian Joseph Johns