Billy Jack (1971)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Tom Laughlin

Writers:

Tom Laughlin (writer) and
Delores Taylor (writer)

Release Date:

2 August 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

Just a person who protects children and other living things.

Plot:

Ex-Green Beret hapkido expert saves wild horses from being slaughtered for dog food and helps protect a desert "freedom school" for runaway.

Plot Keywords:

School | Rape | Hapkido | Chevrolet Corvette | Cannabis

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Tom Laughlin	...	Billy Jack
Delores Taylor	...	Jean Roberts
Clark Howat	...	Sheriff Cole
Victor Izay	...	Doctor
Julie Webb	...	Barbara
Debbie Schock	...	Kit
Teresa Kelly	...	Carol
Lynn Baker	...	Sarah
Stan Rice	...	Martin
David Roya	...	Bernard Posner
John McClure	...	Dinosaur
Susan Foster	...	Cindy
Susan Sosa	...	Sunshine
Katy Moffatt	...	Maria
Gwen Smith	...	Angela

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) (cut) | USA:GP | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | South Africa:(Banned) | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Eaves Movie Ranch - 105 Rancho Alegre Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Company:

National Student Film Corporation

Trivia:

Elizabeth James was originally cast in the film but was later fired and replaced by Delores Taylor.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene at the malt shop where Bernard and Dinosaur are picking on the students, he's dumping flour on the kids to make them white. The girl with the headband slaps him and you can see that there is no flour in his scoop. Then he turns and there's flour in it.

Quotes:

[Billy Jack is surrounded by Posner's thugs]
Mr. Posner: You really think those Green Beret Karate tricks are gonna help you against all these boys?
Billy Jack: Well, it doesn't look to me like I really have any choice now, does it?
Mr. Posner: [laughing] That's right, you don't.
Billy Jack: You know what I think I'm gonna do then? Just for the hell of it?
Mr. Posner: Tell me.
Billy Jack: I'm gonna take this right foot, and I'm gonna whop you on that side of your face...
[points to Posner's right cheek]
Billy Jack: ...and you wanna know something? There's not a damn thing you're gonna be able to do about it.
Mr. Posner: Really?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976) (TV)

Soundtrack:

ONE TIN SOLDIER

A Very Accurate Look Back

I was a teenager when this movie came out. I've not seen it in years and found it on a bargain DVD the other night. While the matter of whether or not this is great film-making may be up for debate, there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most accurate records on film of what is was to be a hippie (or a freak) in the early 70's. If all you know about this is from watching "That 70's Show", this movie should be an eye-opener. I just have to make a few comments about some of the other reviews here. The musical performances were not polished and professional, however, in 1971, we weren't looking for that. We loved to sit around with other freaks and sing songs together. We liked that better than listening to the radio. We didn't play CDs at our parties, we sang for each other. Some of us had bad voices, but we didn't care. It wasn't karaoke, we wrote our own songs. This movie portrays what it was all about. The drama scenes were excellent. I was doing that kind of improv in my Jr. High Drama class. We did those kind of skits at summer camp. This again, was very common back in the day. I remember the redneck as well. I grew up in a western town and part of being a freak was that you got a lot of harassment from the rednecks. They'd gang up on you and try to cut your hair. This was really not an uncommon thing. This movie showed some contradiction of violence and the peace movement. Most of us had all of that inside of us at the time. We were influenced by Gandhi and Bruce Lee. We listened to Joan Baez and Black Sabbath. This movie hit home with so many of us because it's two main characters (Billy & Jean) were the two sides of our own psyche trying to make sense of the world around us. While the acting talent may be in question, I found the characters to be very real and many reminded me of people I grew up with. If this movie was to be remade, I doubt they could find an actor to deliver such authenticity. For anyone interested in knowing what the world was really like in 1971, this film will take you there.