Billy Jack

[CalrissianFoxxSteele]

I remember I saw something about it on VH1's I Love the 70's. They made it look so badass.
...then I watched it.
Thoroughly disappointed. Don't care about the fug pugly hippies and their problems.
I wanna see Billy Jack kick some ass.
He does a little, just not enough to keep me interested.
The moment where he warns the dude about kicking him across the face was the definite highlight and then understood the reference from the movie 'Major Payne' where he does the same thing except hits the guy in the throat first. lol.

[Shaduby]

Saw Billy Jack in 71, when I was 7 years old watched it twice in a row, then saw it again when it came out again in 73.
I loved it!! Even at a young age I could tell some of the acting was wooden - especially the Indian who was with the girl who miscarried.   
The movie made total sense to me then and the ending was truly inspiring...
Watching it now you can tell it didn't age well - it may be too over the top and corny - don't know if todays generation could relate to it now.
But for its time it was great - that generation needed a hero and Billy Jack was it.
It shouldn't be ridiculed, but taken in the context of what it meant back then - a thought provoking "right against wrong and justice will prevail" film - the innocence of the 50/60's was over and this ushered in the whole 70's and innocence gone era...movies and music was forever changed....
Mike

[Trevor]

I was on Ebay and there is a sad listing for Tom Laughlin's entire house contents (at about $2.5 million) as his wife is living with Alzheimer's and had to leave the house to live under care.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tom-Laughlin-Billy-Jack-Delores-Taylor-ENTIRE-HOUSE-Contents-Sale-/221407841780?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Very sad: my Dad walked that road for a while. 

[Trevor]

Hi, great site. This film was banned in South Africa (along with "Born Losers" and "The Trial of Billy Jack"). We really had the most wonderful :( censorship system in the world!

This was one of my first posts here 

[The Burgomaster]

Billy Jack is a great example of what late 60's/early 70s cinema was all about. I suggest a triple feature of BILLY JACK, WOODSTOCK and EASY RIDER. It's a great way to spend a Saturday evening.

And, by the way, this is the original me when I was known as "Joe" in the hallowed forums.

[crector]

One of the dullest and stupidest movies of all time.

[zelmo73]

Defiance, man! Defiance!

[kornula]

The really big problem with BILLY JACK (and all it's sequels) was that Laughlin is a terrible writer, actor and director.  All the "good guys' are pure, innocent and perpetual victims. While everyone else not on the reservation are mustache twiddling villains.  At least Billy Jack is an easy characture  to point and laugh at. While his wife (in the movie and real life) was a whiny, self serving, self righteous, pretentious nagging b***h.  Sadly, the audience back in 1971 gobbled it up then.. and today. 

As for the hippy dippy school, they use an endless stream of exposition on how "successful" their school is - even then, its laughably absurd claims that you're instantly dubious of. But the funniest aspect of this movie is Billy Jack's internal struggle of being peaceful while having to kick ass. A well developed, fully fleshed out 3 dimensional character would have overcome this internal conflict at least early on in the story.. or at least just before.