Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
sanookdee
it's hard to know where to begin with this movie. I Saw Billy Jack in the theater as a teen. I found this sequel on youtube and watched it. I had to pause it regularly because it was so bad. it really has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Unlike many bad movies that are so bad, they are good, this one is so bad it does not even have that quality. bad script, bad acting, bad directing, bad story line. it's to political to even be political. it's like one of those really horribly made Soviet propaganda movies from the 50's and 60's. so over the top. every character is cartoonish in nature. Usually I like past era films with a political statement but, this one rambles on and on and on. the best part of this movie is, it finally ended. worth watching if you are totally bored. it will get you off the couch to clean the bathroom grout. or, inspire you to do your own dental work on a toothache.
daviddaphneredding
In this sequel to "Billy Jack", Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor continue to strongly and clearly convey, via the motion-picture medium, that the situation with which this movie deals is extremely, again, controversial. After all, the movie deals with the matter of bigotry and injustice. It begs a big question. What can a person do within legal limits to stop harassment of minority groups when the law will not cooperate and defend these minority groups? Following, it may also beg the question concerning whether or not Billy Jack is a villain or hero, since the caring person has no mercy on the mean people who do the harassing and does not care what happens to such horrible people. I like this thought-provoking movie. I like it because of the subject matter, but I also like the aesthetic qualities: the west is, in its own way, beautiful. The acting is convincing as well. Whenever I think about the controversial subject matter, I never reach a conclusion, but because of this, the acting, and the beautiful scenery, I will always be glad I saw it.
bigverybadtom
I may have only been a tyke during the time the "Billy Jack" movies came out, but I knew adults who had recent memories of that era as I grew up-and were unimpressed by the movies. As for me, the original "Billy Jack" had some merit, but this one simply repeats itself over and over and over and over ad infinitum. The actual trial of Billy Jack only lasts a few minutes, and he spends four years in jail, but when he comes back, well...that's when the tedium kicks in full swing.The Freedom School has prospered to the point where it even has its own TV station, and the local Indians host them. The local rednecks cause them trouble, and Billy Jack arrives, and *KICK* *PUNCH* *CHOP*. Not once, but many times over. Since the school exposes national and local corruption, the townspeople are upset and want it closed down. (Like there are no liberal townies, or ones who despise local corruption?) The school is evidently run by hippies who look suspiciously clean, and the leftists are all nice intelligent people while anyone not allied with them are one-dimensional thugs.The most laughable part is near the end when the National Guard comes in and they start cold-blooded shooting at the members of the Freedom School, despite the lack of any justification, and then the local Indians arrive and the leader makes a speech, at which the National Guardsmen abruptly stop shooting and walk away. Yes, there were the controversial National Guard shootings at Kent State University and such, but really...Yes, this movie has its apologists, but Michael Moore's movies place a lot less strain on credulity than this load of balderdash.
willbrax
There's no point in going into detail -- it would take too long -- as EVERYTHING in this thing stinks. I loved The Born Losers, and even Billy Jack had its moments, but The Trial of Billy Jack is just too painful to endure. It was almost as if they made a conscious decision when making this film: "Okay, let's ramp up the hokeyness TENFOLD, and have Delores Taylor's character be sad, and cry through what seems like the entire film. We'll even have our daughter's character get all sad and cry a bunch, just like her Mother does!" You would think one would learn something about film-making after your first two films, but apparently Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor were more interested in making a personal statement based upon their views of the condition of society in America at that time, than in making a quality film, and for that I respect them, and give them the "power salute." And thanks for giving more screen time to Lynn Baker in this one, even if much of that time SHE was crying too. She was kind of earthy and appealing in Billy Jack, but wasn't on screen enough to suit me. Check out the Billy Jack Collection, as it includes The Born Losers, and features 2 different commentaries by Tom Laughlin and Delores for each film! The second one for The Born Losers is very interesting and informative, as that was their first film.