Billy Jack was primarily the Jack Reacher of the Nineteen Seventies, however why has such a profitable franchise been largely forgotten? Lee Kid’s Jack Reacher novels observe the titular character, a hypercapable, musclebound ex-Military army officer who drifts throughout America. Whereas he simply desires to be left alone, he often will get pulled into some disaster.
The character has been delivered to life by Tom Cruise in two motion pictures, and Alan Ritchson in Prime Video’s vastly widespread collection; the upcoming Reacher season 4 will adapt the novel, Gone Tomorrow. Little one himself has cited a number of huge influences on Reacher, together with Sherlock Holmes and the “mysterious drifter” archetype generally.
One determine Little one hasn’t talked about is Billy Jack, the half-Native American, ex-Inexperienced Beret with a powerful hatred of bullies and racists. Whereas trendy audiences is likely to be unfamiliar with both the character (performed by creator Tom Laughlin) or the collection, Billy Jack was a professional phenomenon throughout the Nineteen Seventies.
Billy Jack Was The Jack Reacher Of The Nineteen Seventies
On the floor, Billy Jack and Jack Reacher share a lot in frequent. They’re each stoic and terse with phrases, they like to keep away from violence however are specialists at dishing it out, they usually each have army backgrounds. There are some key variations, although.
Reacher is a drifter dedicated to having no commitments, and whereas not precisely a comic, he can crack a joke sometimes. That is in distinction to Billy Jack, who has a love curiosity but in addition appears like he is by no means smiled in his whole life. The truth is, Billy takes just about every little thing deathly significantly. What actually hyperlinks the pair is their sturdy ethical compass.
Each Jacks maintain their feelings near the vest, however once they come throughout injustice, they virtually cannot cease themselves from intervening. That is why it is so satisfying to see them punch, kick, or shoot their method by way of the dangerous guys. It is a little bit of a contradiction in Billy Jack’s case, for the reason that motion pictures themselves are largely preaching pacifism.
The Billy Jack Motion pictures Had been Large Throughout The Nineteen Seventies
Billy Jack appeared in 4 motion pictures; he was launched within the exploitation biker film The Born Losers in 1967, the place he takes on a vicious biker gang terrorizing a city. The movie was a shock hit, and Laughlin made three sequels: 1971’s Billy Jack, The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and 1977’s Billy Jack Goes to Washington.
Because the title may recommend, Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a remake of the Frank Capra traditional Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
Billy Jack itself is a most unlikely blockbuster. It is a film a few badass martial artist taking over corruption and racism, however it’s additionally a movie with prolonged scenes of kids singing anti-war songs, or a city council assembly arguing with the scholars of a New Age faculty.
There are even prolonged scenes of an improv group simply riffing on totally different scene concepts. It is a movie very a lot plugged into the hippie motion, too, however for no matter motive, the primary character simply clicked with audiences in 1971.
Evaluations had been combined, however Billy Jack grossed a staggering $98 million (by way of The Numbers), making it the most important film of 1971. That is all of the extra spectacular contemplating it had a funds of solely $800,000 and was launched independently by Laughlin, after distributors like Warner Bros dropped out.
For context, Billy Jack beat out movies like The French Connection, the James Bond sequel Diamonds are Without end, and Soiled Harry. A follow-up was inevitable, and Laughlin quickly returned with The Trial of Billy Jack. This close to three-hour epic picks up proper the place the unique left off.
Laughlin leaned into the politics and ethical messaging even tougher for the sequel too. Whereas the follow-up was totally panned, it was one other big success, nabbing $89 million. That made it the third-highest grosser of 1974, and the sequel got here forward of The Godfather: Half II and The Texas Chain Noticed Bloodbath.
The Billy Jack Franchise Flamed Out
The second and third Billy Jacks are totally distinctive, as audiences had by no means skilled such a potpourri of genres earlier than. Nonetheless, Laughlin wasn’t capable of maintain the momentum going with the ultimate entry, Billy Jack Goes to Washington.
After railing towards corrupt politicians and the state of America itself, it made a certain quantity of sense that Laughlin’s morally upright avenger would head to the center of Washington. The director once more raised cash independently, however regardless of the large success of the earlier movies, Billy Jack Goes to Washington barely noticed a theatrical launch.
Laughlin would later blame this on Washington insiders working laborious to suppress this film, claiming they discovered its message incendiary. Regardless, the Billy Jack finale acquired roundly poor critiques from those that did see it, and because it solely had one precise combat scene, it could not absolutely declare to be an motion film both.
Laughlin tried a franchise comeback with The Return of Billy Jack in 1985, which took the title character to New York. Whereas filming started on the fifth entry, Laughlin was injured in a stunt early on and the manufacturing ran out of cash, so the sequel was left unfinished.
The Billy Jack Motion pictures Have Aged Badly
For a collection that was as soon as so big, it’s weird how a lot of a footnote the Billy Jack saga has turn out to be. That is probably simply right down to how a lot of their time they’re. Outdoors of The Born Losers, which is a well-paced exploitation movie, the Billy Jack motion pictures are sort of a tricky watch in 2025.
They’re movies of conflicting themes and tones, with a fundamental character who preaches non-violence whereas karate chopping dozens of attackers. A broadly comedian scene shall be adopted by harrowing sequences of racially motivated violence, whereas Billy Jack himself disappears for big chunks of his personal motion pictures.
The Billy Jack motion pictures are sometimes uninteresting and messy, although they’re nonetheless fascinating in their very own proper. Laughlin firmly believed within the messages he was infusing these movies with, and whereas they are often unbearably earnest and didactic, he nonetheless commits to his imaginative and prescient.
That mentioned, whereas they might have beat out Soiled Harry or The Godfather: Half II, they are not almost as entertaining to observe over 50 years later. With Laughlin’s passing in 2013, there are not any indicators of the Billy Jack collection being revived, although Keanu Reeves was as soon as touted for a possible remake within the early 2000s.
Supply: The Numbers
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The Return of Billy Jack
- Runtime
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60 minutes
- Director
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Tom Laughlin
- Producers
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William Wellman Jr.
Solid
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Delores Taylor
Jean Roberts
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Billy Jack Goes to Washington
- Launch Date
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April 16, 1977
- Runtime
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155 minutes
- Director
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Tom Laughlin
- Writers
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Delores Taylor
- Producers
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Frank Capra, Jr.
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Delores Taylor
Jean Roberts
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E.G. Marshall
Sen. Joseph Paine
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The Trial of Billy Jack
- Launch Date
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November 13, 1974
- Runtime
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170 minutes
- Writers
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Tom Laughlin
- Producers
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Delores Taylor
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Delores Taylor
Jean Roberts
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The Born Losers
- Launch Date
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July 12, 1967
- Runtime
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113 minutes
- Director
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Tom Laughlin
- Writers
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Elizabeth James
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Elizabeth James
Vicky Barrington
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Jeremy Slate
Daniel ‘Danny’ Carmody
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William Wellman Jr.
Little one
