Ambitious sequel to "Billy Jack" sees Billy going to Prison for four years after his manslaughter conviction. He does his best to adjust and cope. Meanwhile Jean Roberts(played again by Dolores Taylor) has led the freedom school to major success, greatly expanding its mission and resources, even containing a mini-TV station doing political exposes! This brings it to the attention again of town bigots who want it gone, especially after it reports on a nefarious scheme to kick Native American tribes off their land for re-development. Billy is finally released from prison just in time, as he is again forced to do battle with the villains, though with a different outcome... On the one hand, this film is in desperate need of editing, since nearly three hours long is far too much(lots of speeches). Still, the sheer audacity, ambition, and sincerity of this film is to be commended. Unjustly maligned, this is a worthy sequel, with a moving ending.

After the first Billy Jack movie where he went to prison for five years for involuntary manslaughter the freedom school that Delores Taylor was building on the Indian reservation has expanded quite nicely. There are a whole lot of young people of all kinds now living there and attending school and absorbing the radical ideas as the locals see it of the school.And the school has done one thing more. They have a pirate radio station on the reservation and are doing all kinds of exposes that some of the powerful locals aren't crazy about. The maddest of the lot is Riley Hill who is the brother of Bert Freed who was the owner of the local Ponderosa in the first Billy Jack movie. Freed moved away after the death of his son, but Hill is the local banker and that position gives him leverage on a lot of the locals.Poor Taylor whose passive non-violence is being put to some stressful tests in this film as it was in the last film is caught in the middle. And Tom Laughlin is off on a vision quest not be disturbed. That gives the bad guys a chance to do their worst. Which leads to a horrible Kent State like confrontation at the school on the reservation.This film could easily have told the story in a third to half of its running time. But I suppose producers Laughlin and Taylor couldn't bear to cut a single frame. It really dilutes the story and blunts the impact of the climax.Still Billy Jack's fans should like The Trial Of Billy Jack.

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.

this third movie in the Billy Jack series wasn't as enjoyable for me as the previous two.this one deals with social injustice and racism takes aim at the political machine of the time.beyond that,this film delves deep into Native American mysticism and spirituality.for me,the first half of the film was very long and drawn out.it picks up in the second half.but it's just way too preachy and emotionally manipulative for me.i felt like i was watching a sermon.and the songs seem to serve no other purpose than to tug at your heartstrings.being so blatantly manipulated wouldn't necessarily be so bad,except it seems this is the only reason the movie exists.if there were some lighter moments to break up the heaviness,it would have made the movie easier to bear.as it was,it was just too oppressive and depressing.for me,The Trial of Billy Jack is a 5/10