An action film with a hero armed only with an iron will, their fists, and the belief in the ability of the individual to make a difference would be a refreshing change. Racial injustice and oppression at the hands of the powerful are themes that resonate deeply and are as compelling now as they were back then. You can't really tell the story of the film without telling their story." They were bankrupt, putting everything on the line with three kids at a point when they could have made some good money and wiped their hands of it. Christina Laughlin summed up their legacy best, "Really the only reason they did what they did was because they really believed in saying what they needed to say and exposing the realities of racism and exposing the plight of Native Americans in this country. Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor were two people that pursued their goals with a singularity of purpose and tenacity that makes them both honorary black belts in life. It all starts with who they were and what drove them to do what they did." The Laughlin's documentary film Renegades is about their parent's lives and the journey through the film, as they are both forever intertwined, as Laughlin states, "You can't explore the film they made without exploring the biographical part of it because it's who they were.
#BILLY JACK MOVIE#
An action movie with a message, although entertaining in its use of choreographed violence, was not the norm for the time. A movie about a veteran martial arts expert turned vigilante, for the cause of Native Americans, was not an easy sell in 1971. It took years to complete Billy Jack and even then it was not guaranteed a theatrical release.
In filmmaking the lifeblood of getting something made is money. It wasn't a steady practice for him, but an immersive one." Since Tom Laughlin was writing, directing, and starring in the movie, he did what he needed to do to make it look great on film. There were very intense training periods, daily, for several hours, and then he'd kind of let it go and then pick it up again. What was Tom Laughlin's training like to become Billy Jack? Did he train after the films? Christina Laughlin explains, "He wasn't doing the regular, three days a week, training schedule.
#BILLY JACK TRIAL#
They kept doing it through Trial (The Trial of Billy Jack) and Billy Jack Goes To Washington." Christina Laughlin has fond memories of her training in later backyard sessions and remembers master Han with a mystical reverence, "His whole being and presence was just kind of otherworldly, honestly." Laughlin relates how Han became a fixture not just in the making of the film but in the Laughlin family, "The whole family got into it, he was basically training everyone at the house.
Han's flamboyant kicking, and ability to dispatch multiple opponents with ease, contributed to making Billy Jack an enduring martial arts film. The legendary Hapkido master Bong Soo Han became a critical addition to the films both as a stunt performer and choreographer. She spoke to me about her trailblazing parents and the making of the classic indie movie. Christina Laughlin is a writer, screenwriter, and environmentalist, and is making a documentary film with her siblings about their father and mother's life and films called Renegades. Written, directed, and starring Tom Laughlin, Billy Jack is the story of a lone warrior with a dark past seeking enlightenment but unable to turn away from the injustice he witnesses against Native Americans both by townspeople, business, and the law.Ĭhristina Laughlin is the daughter of Tom Laughlin and Billy Jack co-star Delores Taylor and was the best person to tell the story behind the scenes of the independent film that broke records and brought forth a new hero. While most screen action heroes were fighting drug cartels, rival martial art schools, avenging a master's death or proving they can be the best in the ring, Billy Jack was fighting the system and the entrenched attitudes and prejudices people formed over generations.
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