Billy Jack (1971) [w/Commentaries]

Billy Jack is a half-Indian/half-white ex-Green Beret who is being drawn more and more toward his Indian side. He hates violence, but can't get away from it in the white man's world. Pitting the good guys, the students of the peace-loving free-arts school in the desert vs. the conservative bad guys in the near-by town, the movie plays definitive late-60s themes/messages: anti-establishment, make love not war, the senseless slaughter of God's creatures, the rape of society (figuratively and literally), two-sided justice, racial segregation and prejudices.



Commentary tracks:
- Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor offer up two commentaries on this disc – one recorded in 2000 and the other in 2005 – but there's way too much overlap between the two to make them both essential listening, especially since Tom has a habit of repeating the same stories at the exact same spots. I preferred the second track, as Frank Laughlin – Tom's son and the producer of this Blu-ray disc – joins in to add his considerable insights. He was only 13 at the time of shooting, but in the process of producing the film's high definition transfer, he has obviously scoured the film numerous times. Tom and Delores are frequently in awe of their own creation, but they definitely have some crazy tales to tell.