Themes: Whistleblowers, Social Injustice, Miscarriage of Justice
Main Cast: Hosea Barnett, David Scott Clark, Sandra Ego, Oshannah Fastwolf, DeLaura Henry, Debbie Hill, Trinidad Hopkins, Buffalo Horse, Patricia McCulloch, Alexandra Nicholson, Pepper Rogers, Michael J. Shigezane, Ken Tealor, Evans Thornton, Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, Victor Izay, Terasa Laughlin, William Wellman, Jr.
Release Year: 1974
Country: US
Run Time: 170 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
After Billy Jack belatedly became a box-office smash two years after its original release and The Born Losers, the biker film in which Tom Laughlin created the Billy Jack character, had enjoyed a highly successful re-release, Tom Laughlin brought everyone's favorite martial arts hero turned Native American mystic back to the screen for a third go-round in The Trial of Billy Jack. As Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) awaits trial for murder, Jean Roberts (Delores Taylor) continues to operate her "Freedom School" on an Indian reservation, where the student-operated television station comes under fire for airing a series of hard-hitting political exposes (just how an alternative school run by threadbare hippies obtained cameras, broadcasting equipment and an FCC license is not explained here). The attempts to silence the student journalists and run Billy Jack out of town lead to a deadly confrontation between the kids and the National Guard. Tom Laughlin wrote and directed The Trial of Billy Jack, though on-screen credit is given to his son, Frank Laughlin; similarly, Laughlin also directed the first two films under the name T.C. Frank. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Although it was a commercial success, The Trial of Billy Jack has gone down in history as one of the most legendary examples of cinematic excess. During its epic storyline, director/co-writer/star Tom Laughlin packs his film with enough melodrama for a year's worth of soap operas and crams in every social issue on his mind. Unfortunately, a lot of the strengths of The Trial of Billy Jack get lost in the process. Several scenes are devoted to lecture-style diatribes on various societal ills; the portrayal of government and big-business villains is so hysterically slanted that it makes their villainry lapse into cartoonishness; and the three-hour running time is likely to test the patience of even the most tolerant viewers. Worst of all, Billy Jack often seems like a bit player in a film where he should be the major character. That said, fans of cinematic curiosities may want to brave the treacherous waters of this film because it contains some scenes that are truly unique in the history of cinema. Unforgettably odd moments include a surreal scene where Billy Jack's spiritual guide leads him through the various levels of dealing with aggression, and the jaw-dropping, shamelessly manipulative tragic finale, which must be seen to be disbelieved. Ultimately, most viewers are likely to be baffled by The Trial of Billy Jack, and it can only be recommended to B-movie fans with a hearty constitution. However, that select few will find it strangely hypnotic -- it's a mess, but it's a fascinating mess. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Russell Lane - Russell; George Aguilar - Elk's Shadow; Lynn Baker - Lynn; Michael Bolland - Danny; Teda Bracci - Teda; Kathy Cronkite - Kristen; Gus Greymountain - Blue Elk; Bong Soo Han - Master Han; Riley Hill - Posner; Sacheen Littlefeather - Patsy Littlejohn; Ron Nix - Cowboy #2; Geo Anne Sosa - Joanne; Jack Stanley - Grandfather; Malcolm "Sparky" Watt - Sheriff Cole; Diane Webber - Belly-Dance Instructor; Johnny West - Turning Water; Michelle Wilson - Michelle; George More O'Ferrall - Defense Attorney; Jack White - Bugger; James Andronica - Viet Nam Soldier; Marian Hall - Alicia; Susan Sosa - Sunshine; Hosea Barnett - Student; David Scott Clark - Town Boy; Sandra Ego - Indian Maiden; Oshannah Fastwolf - Oshannah; DeLaura Henry - Liz; Debbie Hill - Debbie; Trinidad Hopkins - Vision Maiden; Buffalo Horse - Little Bear; Patricia McCulloch - Girl; Alexandra Nicholson - Abby; Pepper Rogers - 3rd Trooper; Michael J. Shigezane - Karate Expert; Ken Tealor - Ken; Evans Thornton - Prosecuting Attorney; Jason Clark - Cowboy #1
Credit
George W. Troast - Art Director, Moss Mabry - Costume Designer, Jack N. Reddish - First Assistant Director, Tom Laughlin - Director, Michael Economou - Editor, George Grenville - Editor, Michael Kahn - Editor, Tom Rolf - Editor, Michael Karr - Editor, Jules Nayfack - Editor, Elmer Bernstein - Composer (Music Score), Jack A. Marta - Cinematographer, Joe Cramer - Producer, Tom Laughlin - Screenwriter, Teresa Christina - Screenwriter, Delores Taylor - Screenwriter
The Trial of Billy Jack is a 1974 film starring Delores Taylor and Tom Laughlin. It is the sequel to the 1971 film Billy Jack and the third film overall in the series.
Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) goes to court facing an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from events in the earlier film. He is found guilty and sentenced to a prison term. Meanwhile, the kids at the Freedom School—an experimental school for runaways and troubled youth on a Native American reservation in Arizona—vow to rebuild the school. They raise funds and acquire a new building, eventually starting their own newspaper and television station. Inspired by Nader's Raiders, they begin using the newspaper and TV station to conduct investigative reporting, angering several politicians and townspeople in the process with their exposes.
The school's activities range from having their own search and rescue team, to artistic endeavors such as a marching band and belly dancing. This culminates with the school hosting a large marching band contest and arts festival, which they call "1984 is Closer Than You Think", to raise money for the school.
Midway through the film, Billy Jack is released from prison and, trying to reconnect with his spiritual beliefs, begins a series of lengthy vision quests. He gets involved in a radical group on the reservation which is trying to oppose the federal de-recognition of their tribe and the turning of their tribal lands over to local developers. When one of the tribal members is arrested for poaching deer on what was formerly tribal land, the school comes to his defense.
The school begins to hold hearings on Native rights and child abuse. One of the children at the school was abused by his father who cut off his hand in a fit of rage, and the school defies a court order to turn the boy back over to his father. The FBI begins visiting the school and taps their phones. As tensions mount between the school and the people in the nearby town, a mysterious explosion at the school knocks their television station off the air. The Governor calls a state of emergency and mobilizes the National Guard, and a curfew is established in town. The students respond by holding a parade in the town in violation of the curfew. On the way back to the school their bus breaks down and local townspeople confront the students and threaten to set their bus on fire. Billy Jack shows up during the incident to protect the students, and then comes to the rescue of a tribal member who is being harassed and beaten at a local dance in town. Near the end of the film, the National Guard is stationed around the school and is ordered to open fire on the students, killing four and wounding dozens more.
The entire story is told in flashbacks by Jean Roberts (Delores Taylor, Laughlin's wife), a teacher at the school, from her hospital bed after the shooting incident. The violence in the finale is a symbolic bookend to the massacre of Vietnamese civilians seen in the beginning of the film. During Billy's trial, he mentions the 1968 My Lai massacre and recalls, in a flashback scene, witnessing a similar incident while serving in Vietnam. This scene also reveals one glaring continuity error. In all four films, Billy Jack is described as an ex-Green Beret (Special Forces) soldier, yet in the flashback he and his fellow soldiers all have 101st Airborne Division shoulder patches on their uniforms.
In the DVD audio commentary, Laughlin mentions he also wanted the bloody, disturbing finale to represent all the shooting incidents at college campuses (particularly the 1970 Kent State shootings) where police and National Guardsmen fired upon students during anti-war protest rallies.
Critical reaction
The film was a commercial success upon its release in theaters, but met with a harsh reaction from movie critics. Leonard Maltin's response was typical when he called it an "awful, pretentious film". Donald Guarisco of Allmovie wrote: "Ultimately, most viewers are likely to be baffled by The Trial of Billy Jack, and it can only be recommended to B-movie fans with a hearty constitution...it's a mess, but it's a fascinating mess." Despite its initial commercial success, it marked the effective end of success for the Billy Jack series. It was followed by one more film, Billy Jack Goes to Washington in 1977, which never saw widespread theatrical release.
