This is a major piece about the clash of cultures between the American Red Indian and the American Redneck and the interaction between the townsfolk and the hippie culture of the school run by Jean. She has set the school up on the Indian reservation and it is seen as a threat by the townsfolk because of the alternative lifestyle. The kids don?t wear uniforms, they don?t have traditional classes and they don?t have many rules. And they are quite happy to mix all sorts of races together at a time when the bigots believed this to be the worst thing that could ever happen.The story opens with Sheriff Cole trying to get his deputy to go to the airport to meet his daughter Barbara, returning from being picked up in the Haight Ashbury area of San Francisco. She is a rebel teenager and Dad has to choose between his daughter and Posner, the richest man in town. He chooses the latter and that sets the scene for what happens in the film.The deputy joins Posner in a roundup of wild horses and at the end of the roundup Posner tries to make his son Bernard shoot some of the horses so they can be used as dog meat. He can?t do it and this establishes what a weak son he is in the eyes of his Dad, another theme that runs right through the movie. But the guys have made a big mistake ? the roundup finishes on Indian land and that?s when they meet the hero. Billy Jack is a half-breed with strong feelings for the Indian way of life and he is outraged that the guys have done something illegal on the reservation. Despite the fact that there are quite a few in the roundup group they decide discretion is the better part of valour when challenged by Billy Jack and leave the area with their collective tails between their legs.When the deputy gets home Barbara is already there and when she tells him she is pregnant but doesn?t know whom the father is he gives her a belting. Billy Jack finds her out in the woods and she ends up in hospital. The kindly doctor arranges for her to go out to the Freedom School so she can recover away from her Dad and she gradually assimilates into the lifestyle. Barbara, perhaps for the first time in her life, finds acceptance for who she is and she learns she doesn?t have to be an attention seeker to get people to like her.The kids go into town one day and some head off to the ice cream store where it is apparent that Indians are not welcomed. Bernard appears with his mate Dinosaur and harasses the kids, pouring flour over the girls and eventually hitting the quiet Indian boy Martin. Fortunately Billy Jack happens upon the scene and extracts a little revenge. But as he goes to leave a group of the town thugs gather to take him on. Bad move boys! In one of the great fight scenes on movie Billy Jack manages to handle most of the thugs until he is brought down by a cowardly blow from behind. Luckily the Sheriff arrives to break it up before Billy Jack gets killed. The deputy eventually goes to the school looking for his daughter but can?t find her. The Town Council then tries to step in to pass a law banning the kids from town except between certain hours on a Saturday. The ensuing meeting is an interesting insight into how bigots can try to manage the lives of others when they just don?t understand. The kids are able to get some of the councillors to come out to the school to see the environment first-hand and they seem to really enjoy it.Dumb old Bernard just can?t seem to stay out of trouble and he gets caught by Billy Jack out at the lake with one of the girls from the school. So Billy Jack makes him drive his new car into the lake as punishment and that starts the beginning of the end. Bernard later finds Jean as she is swimming and ties her up before raping her. At about the same time Barbara falls form a horse at the school and when Billy Jack makes it to the hospital he reckons there is more wrong with the situation than just Barbara?s injuries but Jean and the others keep quiet about the rape.Posner turns up at the school to find Martin as Bernard has seen him with Barbara. Posner and other thugs take him away but Cindy helps him to get free. Bernard tracks him down and kills him and then Billy Jack gets in the case. He catches up with Bernard in a motel room and kills him with a karate chop before heading back to the school where he ends up shooting the deputy. The full force of the law is brought to bear and Billy Jack and Barbara end up hiding out in the church, surrounded by many heavily armed police. Jean manages to talk Billy Jack out of going ahead with the siege and carnage is avoided as Billy Jack gives himself up. The 70s anthem ?One Tin Soldier? plays in the background as Billy Jack is taken away.The movie is a product of Tom Laughlin?s writing and directing. His wife Delores Taylor helped with the writing too so it is a real family affair. The National Student Film Corporation was involved and the credits reveal that the cast improvised some of the scenes as they went along.I am just not sure whether this is a really good movie with a powerful message or an attempt that almost made it. There are some who would argue that this is the first time that the world was looked at through the eyes of the American Indian and that it doesn?t show the white American way in the best light. It is hard to argue with the thrust of this. The writing is skilfully done to put the bad guys in the worst possible light and they act their parts well. Billy Jack is a strong character with moral right on his side ? someone who looks after the environment, animals and kids has to have something going for him. But he is also prone to violence when provoked and is prepared to use the skills taught to him as a Green Beret to do damage to his enemies. The pacifist Jean is too good to be true and I never did work out how come there were so many kids at this school in the middle of nowhere. Look out for the guy who went on to play the part of Johnny Fever in the sitcom WKRP In Cincinnati In the end the picture is worth seeing so you can make up your own mind about the message and the success of its delivery. I liked it but I ended up thinking that the more they tried the less of a great movie it became.

THE EXTRAS

You can select subtitles or scenes and that?s it. Still in an Under $12.00 movie I don?t think you can expect much. It may have been the place to put interviews with American Indians who lived through the time to give us some perspective on how historically accurate the film really was.

CONCLUSION

Half-breed American Indian Billy Jack is the ranger on an Indian reservation. He is also an ex-Green Beret commando who is prepared to use his extensive skills to defend the kids who attend the alternative style Freedom School run by Jean. When the local rednecks go too far Billy Jack takes matters in to his own hands.