Clark Howat, David Roya, Delores Taylor

This time-capsule film from 1971 is a perfect example of having one's cake and eating it, too. Written and directed by filmmaker Tom Laughlin--and starring him in the title role--Billy Jack con...( read more  read more... )cerns a half-white, half-Indian karate expert who protects a free school built on principles of pacifism by kicking hell out of pesky rednecks. The story actually embraces that tension between Billy Jack's way of doing things and that of the school's founder (Delores Taylor), but their tension doesn't so much lead to an examination of principles as it leads to an excuse for Laughlin to incorporate fight scenes between hippie politics. Crude and brutal, the film is pretty exploitative of a viewer's torn sympathies, and in that way Billy Jack actually anticipates much of the simple-minded, violent fare that followed in the movies of the '70s and '80s. --Tom Keogh

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65% liked it

7,916 ratings

PG, 110 min.

Directed by: Clark Howat, Delores Taylor, T.C. Frank, Tom Laughlin

Release Date: January 1, 1971

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DVD Release Date: October 31, 2000

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Stats: 315 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (315)


  • January 24, 2007
    Karate-fighting Hippie Man!
  • December 26, 2007
    I remember this movie from childhood, this was among my mom's favorite. HEHEHE
  • November 11, 2009
    One of the first martial arts movies. Also one of the first dealing with rape.
  • July 22, 2009
    At first, I had some appreciation for this film's attempt to relate Native Americans' various tribulations in dealing with racism and unsympathetic Federal, State and local authorities.

    I was otherwise unimpressed with the filmmaker's sympathies with 1970s-style liberalism. I...( read more) was especially disappointed with this film's opposition to traditional means, and its tacit support for politicized, extreme liberal, agenda-laden methods for educating youths. The radicalism of this film blazes most audaciously in the concluding scene. In this scene, the protagonist of the story is taken into custody by state troopers, while an enraged crowd of students sees him off with the official (clenched fist) salute of international communism.

    While I have Native American ancestry, and generally appreciate cinematic attempts to depict the lives and struggles of Native Americans, in conscience, I can only regard the message and pathos of this film to be rather lame --Sincerely in Christ, Jeff 'Quare fremerunt gentes?'
  • June 5, 2009
    Billy Jack is a great character but this is the first of three bad sequels. Howard Hesseman doing Hippy theatre makes you wanna put your foot upside his head. I never would have hired him for WKRP if I had seen this beforehand. Watch Born Losers if you like Billy Jack. It never s...( read more)hould have had a sequel.
  • June 4, 2009
    a karate cowboy/indian who looks white.....
  • April 30, 2009
    Great action and a genuine feel good movie.
  • March 27, 2009
    So bad it's good!!!!
  • March 6, 2009
    People always talk about Indains, but they weren't talking about this one..???
  • March 4, 2009
    One of my very favorite films of all time. Made a huge impression on me when I was young.

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  • brettyjack
    March 27, 2007
    Yes this is a classic! Billy Jack is a real man & a hero, the film inspired me.

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Billy Jack Trivia


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