Movie #98- "Billy Jack" (1971)

Buried somewhere in the depth of "Billy Jack" is a good movie.  He's a strong central character, preaching equally (among other issues) and defending those unjustly harassed by kicking ass along the way.  However, "Billy Jack" is also a product of its time, taking long and strange detours into the free spirited, hippie culture of the 60s.
As a man, Billy Jack is somewhat an oxymoron.  He protects a group of people believing in peaceful resolution by using his anger and violence.  Billy Jack is a former Green Beret studying the ways of his Indian heritage.  The local reservation houses the Freedom School, an institution that teaches the liberal arts to wayward kids and adults, the kind of people that were outcasts to a "normal" 60s society.  Most of the local town conservatives don't take kindly to the school, mainly due to ignorance or misunderstanding.  Billy Jack steps in as a protector for these students.
The scenes in which Billy Jack serves as the focal point are the ones that are best.  And it goes beyond the martial arts aspect of the film (although there is the great line about kicking a man in the face), because when he's not dispensing street justice, he does maintain an eerie calm at the center of the film.  Billy Jack is torn by his two sides, the violent and peace loving.  But "Billy Jack" loves to venture into the teachings at the school, which provide some dated and comical moments.  A street staged improvisation and off-key folk singing are a couple key highlights. 
Tom Laughlin not only stars, but also wrote, directed, and probably did the catering.  Fun bonuses include a young Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) as one of the instructors and another mention of Schlitz, which apparently was the beer of the common man in the late 60s and early 70s.  About 60 minutes of a good story stretched out to nearly two hours.

Rating: 4/10
Movies I've previously seen: 6
First time viewings: 92