Johnny Firecloud (1975) *** (out of 4)Johnny Firecloud (Victor Mohica) is an Indian who returns home from the Vietnam War where he expects to live a good life. That isn't the case because the local town is full of racist trash and being led by a man named Colby (Ralph Meeker) who pretty much calls all the shots. After his family is attacked Johnny decides to seek vengeance against everyone.JOHNNY FIRECLOUD comes from producer David F. Friedman and I must admit that I was really shocked at how much I liked it. The film certainly borrows from various "revenge" pictures out there but it pretty much does what any good film like this should do and that's make you care for the hero and hate the bad guys. There's no question that your blood will boil with each passing moment as this group of bad guys are really great.What's so entertaining about this film is that director William Allen Castleman really nails the mood of this small town and I thought he created a believable atmosphere. The hatred in this small town just stinks so bad that you can sit in your living room and smell it. The director perfectly makes the rednecks people you can hate and you can't help but cheer when they finally go up against Johnny. As far as the Johnny character, he's just an all around good guy and someone you want to root for.The film contains some pretty bloody violence at times including one guy who gets scalped! This bloody effect actually looks quite good in its gory details. There's also a rape sequence that doesn't show too much graphic material but it's shot so well that the impact is still there. Finally, both Mohica and Meeker are so great in their roles that you can't help but enjoy the film even more.JOHNNY FIRECLOUD deals with a serious subject matter, for the most part, in a serious way but it also throws in some gory action for exploitation fans. It's certainly an enjoyable picture.

*SPOILERS* Exploitation flick drags along sluggishly. The story is okay, I definitely feel like the production was a little shoddy and the acting is just plain huff at times. There are plenty of moments of awful dialogue, horrible stereotypes, points when the movie forgets where it was trying to go and ends up being repetitive to the point where certain scenes seem to be playing over and over again. The actors do the best with what they are working with here, but that's not saying much. Random nudity and some nice moments of violence save this tripe from being completely awful.I would say it is interesting on a campy cult level, enough to see at least once, but this is not something I will be revisiting anytime soon. I would recommend the 'Walking Tall' movies if you are looking for something with better production since that seems to be the kind of feel this flick was going for at times. I will give it a five out of ten to be fair.JOHNNY FIRECLOUD ----- 5/10.

Johnny Firecloud borrows heavily from the other stand up and fight action/revenge flicks of it's day like Walking Tall and Billy Jack. Comparing it to the latter, it's less pretentious and overtly political, making it much more entertaining in my book, although it does have a slight problem with being overlong.I think Johnny's goal of working hard and trying to find a place to fit in his hometown and as an Indian in modern America, is quite admirable. It makes the eventual (very bloody) war on the town bully and his group of nasty rednecks very satisfying.The final scene isn't particularly exciting but still worthwhile.Another thing that struck me about this film is the number of complex characters (for a drive-in movie) and sympathetic whites among the population of Johnny's town. Most of the time in these type of movies the only good white person is the town's lone attractive female. It blunts some of the other over-the-top redneck stereotypes presented in the film.For the perverts out there, Marlon Brando's favorite fake Indian, Sacheen Littlefeather, shows off her breast implants in a gratuitous rape scene where we're "treated" to the sight of a greasy fat redneck reaching up her skirt and snatching off her panties, holding them up to the camera and grinning!One of the morals of this movie is that when you have the cops on your side, don't abuse it. The same policeman that's going to let you get away with murder is liable to look the other way while your own throat gets slit!

Johnny Firecloud is one of the more interesting features from David F. Friedman and company, mainly due to its cast... chances are, you're not going to find names like Ralph Meeker, David Canary, Frank DeKova, Sacheen Littlefeather, etc. in this kind of exploitation film, let alone one produced by the self-proclaimed "Mighty Monarch of the Exploitation Film World".This film is about the trials of the title character, a Native American who returns to his town, only to find it under siege by a controlling bigot portrayed by Mr. Meeker. Mr. Canary plays the sheriff sent by Meeker to capture Johnny, dead or alive (in Meeker's case, preferably dead. Johnny will have none of it, especially when his grandfather, played by Mr. DeKova, is a victim of the townspeople. Being the anti-hero, he takes the law in his own hands.Ms. Littlefeather. who plays a doomed friend of Johnny's, is best known as the young actress who Marlon Brando sent to the Oscars to refuse his Academy Award in protest of the treatment of Native Americans.The acting is adequate enough to keep this rather average "revenge film" from sinking. The conclusion is rather surprising given the weak script. I recommend it if you're into this kind of picture.