Billy Jack is a series of action films written, directed, produced by, and starring Tom Laughlin, who plays the titular character Billy Jack, a half-Indian Green Beret veteran and hapkido master who stands up for the weak in the face of authoritarian police, politicians, and biker gangs. While critics never liked the series, it became a smash hit among the '70s counterculture, to the point where Laughlin organized an essay contest where fans could rebut the terrible reviews it received. Behind the scenes, the films are also known for having pioneered the idea of a "wide" theatrical release, as Laughlin, who distributed his films independently, printed hundreds of reels to distribute to theaters across the country rather than a few that would first show at the big-city theaters before going to smaller cities and towns.
Laughlin made four Billy Jack films, and planned on making a fifth:
- The Born Losers (1967): The introduction to the character of Billy Jack, a retired Vietnam veteran who just wanted some peace and quiet in his beach house. Unfortunately, a trip into the seaside town of Big Rock sees him witnessing the Born Losers, a motorcycle gang that has been terrorizing the town, viciously assaulting a motorist. When he steps in to stop it, it sets off a war between Billy and the gang. Despite negative reviews, it made enough money for Laughlin to put a sequel into production...
- Billy Jack (1971): The one that made the character a household name in the '70s. Here, he defends the Freedom School, an "alternative" school in Arizona that's run by hippies, from the attacks of the Untrusting Community that they live in. It was a smash hit, quickly becoming one of the top five highest-grossing films of 1971.
- The Trial of Billy Jack (1974): After the events of the prior film, Billy is now in prison for manslaughter, while the Freedom School, vowing to rebuild, starts engaging in investigative journalism in a manner inspired by "Nader's Raiders". It was the third-highest-grossing film of the year, behind only Blazing Saddles and The Towering Inferno. However, it is also the longest of the four Billy Jack films (running 2 hours and 50 minutes) and is notorious for the way in which Billy Jack himself is out of focus, with the bulk of the three-hour film focusing on the "Freedom School" and its members political activism and subsequent author filibusters on various subjects.
- Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977): A loose remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which Billy is appointed as a US Senator to fill out the term of another Senator, and quickly gets embroiled in a fight over the construction of a nuclear power plant. Distribution problems meant that it never saw a theatrical release, though it would later get released on DVD.
- The Return of Billy Jack: After the failure of the last film, Laughlin spent the rest of his life trying to get a fifth film made. He came closest in 1985, where he started production on a film in which Billy Jack battles child pornographers in The Big Rotten Apple. Unfortunately, he suffered a head injury that forced him to put production on hold while he recovered, and by then he had run out of money to finish the film, with only an hour's worth of footage to show for it.
Tropes:
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: The titular villains in The Born Losers, based on an incident in 1964 when two Hells Angels raped a teenage girl in Monterey, California.
- Badass Boast: Billy Jack's legendary oath to kick someone in the face "and there's not a damn thing you're gonna be able to do about it". He immediately makes true on his threat.
- Filibuster Freefall: The series got progressively more political with each installment, culminating in the final film being a straight political drama rather than an action film.
- The Gloves Come Off:Billy: Bernard, I want you to know... that I try. When Jean and the kids at the school tell me that I'm supposed to control my violent temper, and be passive and nonviolent like they are, I try. I really try. Though when I see this girl... of such a beautiful spirit... so degraded... and this boy... that I love... sprawled out by this big ape here... and this little girl, who is so special to us we call her "God's little gift of sunshine"... and I think of the number of years that she's going to have to carry in her memory... the savagery of this idiotic moment of yours... I just go BERSERK! [cue Curb-Stomp Battle]
- Hollywood Law: In The Trial of Billy Jack, there's a secondary trial about some Native Americans who were hunting on a white landowner's property (and one of them dies from exposure during a snowstorm). Their lawyer tries to argue that as natives they aren't beholden to the white man's laws and are innocent.
- New-Age Retro Hippie: The Freedom School, the countercultural school that Billy defends.
- Put Down Your Gun and Step Away: Subverted. Evil deputy (Kenneth Tobey) is holding a schoolgirl hostage in a Kent State-like situation. He tells Billy (Tom Laughlin) to drop his rifle or he'll shoot the girl. Billy tells him to go ahead and shoot her. Deputy says, "You'd kill her? Just like that?" Billy shakes his head and says, "You'll kill her. And then I'll kill you. Just like that."
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Sheriff Cole tries to keep the peace in town, and for much of the film openly supports Billy and the Freedom School against Posner and other troublemakers.
- Rewrite: Billy Jack Goes to Washington saw Billy Jack suddenly reverse from a man who is a jaded cynic in regards to his government who casually cites broken treaties and government abuses in his previous films to a naive innocent who is shocked that not everyone in government is scrupulously honest.
- Shared Fate Ultimatum: A deputy threatens to shoot a girl to make Billy Jack drop his rifle. Billy Jack refuses, saying that if the deputy shoots the girl, he'll shoot the deputy.Deputy: Now you drop that gun, or I'll shoot her. I'm not gonna ask you again.Billy Jack: You won't have to.Deputy: What?Billy Jack: I said shoot her.Deputy: You'd kill her, just like that?Billy Jack: You'll kill her. And then I'll kill you, just like that.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The films never make Billy an unstoppable One-Man Army, as many of its imitators do. In Billy Jack the below-mentioned No Holds Barred Beat Down actually ends with Billy losing the fight because he's heavily outnumbered, forcing the Sheriff to save him. In The Trial of Billy Jack he is wounded by police and unable to prevent the National Guard from attacking the Freedom School in the climax.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In The Trial of Billy Jack, Posner is replaced by another villain named Posner who is, conveniently, the original character's relative.
- Underestimating Badassery:Billy Jack: I'm gonna take this right foot, and I'm gonna whop you on that side of your face... and you wanna know something? There's not a damn thing you're gonna be able to do about it.
Mr. Posner: [sarcastically] Really.
Billy Jack: [nodding] Really. [does exactly what he promised] - Untrusting Community: The entire town seems to have it in for the Freedom School, seeing them as a bunch of dirty hippies.
- The Vietnam Vet: Billy, who just wanted some peace and quiet after returning home.
