Billy Jack Goes to Washington

Skipping through the sat channels the other night I stumbled across this movie and thought I might give it a look. Having seen the original Billy Jack a few years back I figured it might be worth a few laughs if it was anything like the original. To my surprise it was much better then the first film. It had some decent scripting and Laughlin is not that bad an actor, especially when working with a seasoned veteran like E.G. Marshall. Despite a somewhat contrived plot the movie did get it's point across showing the corruption in Washington and how one man can make a difference. The movie is no Mr. Smith goes to Washington, but then Laughlin is no Jimmy Stewart and for that matter Jimmy is no Billy Jack.

After a sitting United States senator dies, this rallies corrupt Political Boss James Bailey(Sam Wanamaker) and surviving senator from the same state Joe Paine (E. G. Marshall) to action to find a replacement so they can push through approval of the Willet Creek Nuclear Power Plant project. While the governor can't appoint Taylor's handpicked replacement without committing political suicide, he is soon inspired to choose Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) believing his popularity will keep him safe politically, while his disinterest in politics will allow the passage of the dam project. As Billy unsteadily enters the halls of political power along with Jean (Delores Taylor) and several members of the Freedom School, he is taught the ins and outs of the process by his jaded secretary Saunders (Lucie Arnaz) who is initially placed their by Paine to keep Billy Jack away from the Nuclear Power Plant in the legislation. As Billy attempts to push through his own legislation for a Youth Camp for impoverished children. Billy soon finds himself face to face with the insidious political machinations that he soon fights against (sometimes literally).

Billy Jack Goes to Washington is the fourth and final film in the Billy Jack series of films written by Tom Laughlin and wife Delores Tayor, and starring and directed by Laughlin. The impetus of the project actually came about from Frank Capra Jr. Who had been trying to get a remake of his father's film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington made, including at one point a musical version with John Denver as Smith, but being met with disinterest. Capra had a meeting with Laughlin sometime after the failure of Laughlin's larger budgeted western The Master Gunfighter with the prospect of remaking the film with the Billy Jack character and Laughlin was receptive believing stepping into mainstream politics was a natural evolution for the character. Laughlin handled both distribution and production of the film independently including with his ill-fated Taylor-Laughlin Distribution, and following production overruns Laughlin was sued by his financial backers which lead to the film missing its intended Christmas 1976 release due to the film being tied up in litigation despite being completed. When the film was released it only made it to a handful of theaters (mostly grindhouses and porn theaters by Laughlin's account) which Laughlin attributed to political pressure by the Nuclear industry. Watching Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a strange experience because it is less rambling than its predecessor, but it's also so heavily built upon the original Capra film that it just keeps reminding you of a better version of the movie.

Billy Jack Goes to Washington despite a name change of who is going to Washington is not really a Billy Jack movie and is instead just the Capra movie with Billy Jack crudely inserted into the proceedings. While I can't say anything of the extended cut which seems to be unavailable (Laughlin cut out 40 minutes of footage for its home video release and redubbed the filibuster to include references to Three Mile Island), the home video cut features the same plot beats and much of the same dialogue from the 1938 film with only very minor adjustments for either inflation or replacing the subject of contention as a Nuclear Power Plant in place of a dam. The way Billy Jack is portrayed in this film he's often playing the line reads the same way Stewart played Smith in the original Capra film, and even overlooking the headscratching logic of why Bailey and Paine thought they could control Billy Jack given the character's history the character so doesn't align with this role that when something more in line with a Billy Jack film comes into play, like a fight sequence halfway through the story, you really get a sense of just how incongruous this two elements feel together especially since they've just lifted wholesale sections of dialogue that weren't designed for this character.

In terms of the actual content in the movie (at least in the abridged version that's the only one available) it is a much easier sit than The Trial of Billy Jack and at least has a central point of focus even if it's only because of a film it copied so heavily. I'll say that while Laughlin and Marshall don't quite capture the level seen by Stewart and Rains in the original, Laughlin is okay during the filibuster scene (not great but I've seen worse) and Marshall isn't a bad choice for this role.

Billy Jack Goes to Washington is an unnecessary remake of one of Frank Capra's most beloved and quoted films that's been crudely retrofitted into a fourthquel for a character who doesn't feel at place in this story. With that said however, I'll at least say it's still aligned more or less with the spirit of the Capra film. For people interested in Billy Jack I still say stick with the first two films and as for this one: completionists only, all others should just rent the classic.

As a Washington, D.C. native who saw this film when it was first released (and, contrary to some other comments, it WAS released in DC, playing in several area theaters), I was interested to see how Laughlin would portray the city and its political institutions. Surprisingly, he did so very well. The debt to Jimmy Stewart is obvious throughout but, having said this, his film reflected the political temper of the city in the late 1960's-early 1970's very well indeed. The dialog was not brilliant or sparkling, but there were some good lines: "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered," is one I remember, referring to bribes and corruption. No matter what one's political views are, this is a film that can be viewed as escapist entertainment and, now from a vantage of several decades, with some nostalgia as well. Worth a rental, definitely, and better if seen with someone who lived through the era.

this fourth and final film in the Billy Jack franchise was never released theatrically.i thought it was a better film the the previous one,the T4ial of Billy jack,which i found tedious,bloated and preachy.this one is not as heavy.there is very little action.it/s more drama than anything.basically.billy jack become a senator and quickly realizes how corrupt things are in Washington.i'll leaver the plot at that.on a side note,i noticed that the run time is listed as 155 minutes,which is interesting since the version i watched was about 111 minutes or so.i also noticed on message boards that someone had seen the original cut at a preview some thirty plus years ago,and had noticed that the DVD version was cut to pieces.it would be interesting to see that version.maybe some day,that version will see the light of day.as for this version,it was decent enough.for me,Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a 6/10

Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977) was the last film in the Billy Jack

series. Unlike the other films where the political posturing was kept in check, Tom Laughlin goes full tilt boogie into the subject. In this virtual remake of the classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Billy Jack is

appointed the vacant senatorial seat after receiving a full pardon from the

Governor. Why did they give this man a political platform I'll never know. But they did and he tries to do his best to let the whole nation know that

he's the last and only honest man in Washington D.C.

Why do we watch Billy Jack movies. Most of you will answer because he

kicks butt and takes names. But the latter films focus more on his "acting" and the metaphysical being of one's self. If you watch Billy Jack for these

reasons raise your hand. That's what I thought.

For die-hard Billy Jack fans, others beware!

Recommended.