Tom Laughlin was a strong male lead in all of the "Billy Jack" movies.
These films were never popular with critics, so they don't show up on any "best of" lists. As such, they're almost forgotten now. But they were really popular in the early 1970s, especially with teenagers. These films used to run on cable stations late at night in the '80s and '90s, which is how I discovered them.
If I remember correctly, Billy Jack was a half-Indian Vietnam vet who defended peace-loving hippies by kicking everyone's ass. Seriously! (See trailer below.)
The best of these movies is the original "Billy Jack" from 1971, which Laughlin also directed and co-wrote. When no distributor would accept it, he apparently did that job himself...and ended up making $10 million on the movie. That would translate to $60 million in today's dollars.
These films were never popular with critics, so they don't show up on any "best of" lists. As such, they're almost forgotten now. But they were really popular in the early 1970s, especially with teenagers. These films used to run on cable stations late at night in the '80s and '90s, which is how I discovered them.
If I remember correctly, Billy Jack was a half-Indian Vietnam vet who defended peace-loving hippies by kicking everyone's ass. Seriously! (See trailer below.)
The best of these movies is the original "Billy Jack" from 1971, which Laughlin also directed and co-wrote. When no distributor would accept it, he apparently did that job himself...and ended up making $10 million on the movie. That would translate to $60 million in today's dollars.