Tom Laughlin looking intense as Billy Jack in Billy Jack (1971).
By
Padraig Cotter
Published 1 minute ago
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
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Billy Jack was essentially the Jack Reacher of the 1970s, but why has such a successful franchise been largely forgotten? Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels follow the titular character, a hypercapable, musclebound ex-Army military officer who drifts across America. While he just wants to be left alone, he usually gets pulled into some crisis.
The character has been brought to life by Tom Cruise in two movies, and Alan Ritchson in Prime Video's hugely popular series; the upcoming Reacher season 4 will adapt the novel, Gone Tomorrow. Child himself has cited a few big influences on Reacher, including Sherlock Holmes and the "mysterious drifter" archetype in general.
One figure Child hasn't mentioned is Billy Jack, the half-Native American, ex-Green Beret with a strong hatred of bullies and racists. While modern audiences might be unfamiliar with either the character (played by creator Tom Laughlin) or the series, Billy Jack was a legitimate phenomenon during the 1970s.
Billy Jack Was The Jack Reacher Of The 1970s
Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack holding a rifle.
On the surface, Billy Jack and Jack Reacher share much in common. They're both stoic and terse with words, they prefer to avoid violence but are experts at dishing it out, and they both have military backgrounds. There are some key differences, though.
Reacher is a drifter committed to having no commitments, and while not exactly a comedian, he can crack a joke occasionally. This is in contrast to Billy Jack, who has a love interest but also looks like he's never smiled in his entire life. In fact, Billy takes pretty much everything deathly seriously. What really links the pair is their strong moral compass.
Both Jacks keep their emotions close to the vest, but when they come across injustice, they almost can't stop themselves from intervening. That's why it's so satisfying to see them punch, kick, or shoot their way through the bad guys. This is a bit of a contradiction in Billy Jack's case, since the movies themselves are largely preaching pacifism.
The Billy Jack Movies Were Huge During The 1970s
Tom Laughlin holding a rifle against a gang of bikers in The Born Losers.
Billy Jack appeared in four movies; he was introduced in the exploitation biker movie The Born Losers in 1967, where he takes on a vicious biker gang terrorizing a town. The film 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.
As the title might suggest, Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a remake of the Frank Capra classic Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
Billy Jack itself is a very unlikely blockbuster. It's a movie about a badass martial artist taking on corruption and racism, but it's also a film with extended scenes of children singing anti-war songs, or a town council meeting arguing with the students of a New Age school.
There are even extended scenes of an improv group just riffing on different scene ideas. It's a film very much plugged into the hippie movement, too, but for whatever reason, the main character just clicked with audiences in 1971.
Reviews were mixed, but Billy Jack grossed a staggering $98 million (via The Numbers), making it the biggest movie of 1971. This is all the more impressive considering it had a budget of only $800,000 and was released independently by Laughlin, after distributors like Warner Bros dropped out.
For context, Billy Jack beat out films like The French Connection, the James Bond sequel Diamonds are Forever, and Dirty Harry. A follow-up was inevitable, and Laughlin soon returned with The Trial of Billy Jack. This near three-hour epic picks up right where the original left off.
Laughlin leaned into the politics and moral messaging even harder for the sequel too. While the follow-up was utterly panned, it was another giant success, nabbing $89 million. That made it the third-highest grosser of 1974, and the sequel came ahead of The Godfather: Part II and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
The Billy Jack Franchise Flamed Out
Billy Jack against a pink background in Billy Jack (1971).
The second and third Billy Jacks are utterly unique, as audiences had never experienced such a potpourri of genres before. However, Laughlin wasn't able to keep the momentum going with the final entry, Billy Jack Goes to Washington.
After railing against corrupt politicians and the state of America itself, it made a certain amount of sense that Laughlin's morally upright avenger would head to the heart of Washington. The director again raised money independently, but despite the huge success of the previous films, Billy Jack Goes to Washington barely saw a theatrical release.
Laughlin would later blame this on Washington insiders working hard to suppress this movie, claiming they found its message incendiary. Regardless, the Billy Jack finale got roundly poor reviews from those who did see it, and since it only had one actual fight scene, it couldn't fully claim to be an action movie either.
Laughlin attempted a franchise comeback with The Return of Billy Jack in 1985, which took the title character to New York. While filming began on the fifth entry, Laughlin was injured in a stunt early on and the production ran out of money, so the sequel was left unfinished.
The Billy Jack Movies Have Aged Badly
Billy Jack pointing a gun on horseback in Billy Jack (1971).
For a series that was once so huge, it's bizarre how much of a footnote the Billy Jack saga has become. That's likely just down to how much of their time they are. Outside of The Born Losers, which is a well-paced exploitation film, the Billy Jack movies are kind of a tough watch in 2025.
They're films of conflicting themes and tones, with a main character who preaches non-violence while karate chopping dozens of attackers. A broadly comic scene will be followed by harrowing sequences of racially motivated violence, while Billy Jack himself disappears for large chunks of his own movies.
The Billy Jack movies are often dull and messy, though they are still fascinating in their own right. Laughlin firmly believed in the messages he was infusing these films with, and while they can be unbearably earnest and didactic, he still commits to his vision.
That said, while they may have beat out Dirty Harry or The Godfather: Part II, they're not nearly as entertaining to watch over 50 years later. With Laughlin's passing in 2013, there are no signs of the Billy Jack series being revived, though Keanu Reeves was once touted for a potential remake in the early 2000s.
Source: The Numbers
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The Return of Billy Jack
Drama
Action
Crime
Runtime
60 minutes
Director
Tom Laughlin
Producers
William Wellman Jr.
Cast
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Teresa Kelly
Carol
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Tom Laughlin
Billy Jack
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Delores Taylor
Jean Roberts
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Rodney Harvey
Uncredited
The Return of Billy Jack is an unfinished film that began production in 1985, featuring the character Billy Jack in his efforts to dismantle a child pornography ring led by a criminal mastermind. Filming took place in New York City and Toronto before it was halted.
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Like Follow Followed Billy Jack Goes to Washington NR Drama Release Date April 16, 1977 Runtime 155 minutes Director Tom Laughlin Writers Delores Taylor Producers Frank Capra, Jr.Cast
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Delores Taylor
Jean Roberts
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Tom Laughlin
Billy Jack
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E.G. Marshall
Sen. Joseph Paine
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Teresa Kelly
Carol
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Like Follow Followed The Trial of Billy Jack PG Action Drama Music Thriller Release Date November 13, 1974 Runtime 170 minutes Writers Tom Laughlin Producers Delores TaylorCast
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Delores Taylor
Jean Roberts
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Tom Laughlin
Billy Jack
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Victor Izay
Doc
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Teresa Kelly
Carol
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Like Follow Followed The Born Losers PG Action Drama Thriller Western Release Date July 12, 1967 Runtime 113 minutes Director Tom Laughlin Writers Elizabeth JamesCast
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Elizabeth James
Vicky Barrington
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Tom Laughlin
Billy Jack
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Jeremy Slate
Daniel 'Danny' Carmody
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William Wellman Jr.
Child
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The Trial of Billy Jack
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