I've seen some of the comments for this film, and everyone is complaining about the films "activism". It seems foreign to us now since very few of us are activists anymore. But back in the 70's, my generation was VERY active and vocal. I didn't lean nearly as far left as the politics espoused in this film, but I mistrusted the US Government as much as the next person. Tom Laughlin is a very strong anti-war and pro-Indian activist. This film, while poorly acted (as were all the Billy Jack films), has a strong message and it sure gets in your face with it. The timing of the film coincides with the time when most of America greatly distrusted Uncle Sam, so it's politics are mostly correct. My major complaint is the films length...it should have been trimmed. I think there's too much "amateur hour" from the students. Other than that, it's not bad at all. To truly judge this film, you must have lived through the 70's and then you'd understand it better.

This movie is a painful experience to watch. Tom Laughlin was a talented filmmaker but he allowed his ego to wreck this movie. It's two-plus hours of speechifying kills this movie. Blah, blah, blah, get on with it. It is so "serious" it becomes unwatchable. Between the many speeches Billy Jack actually changes color. He's red, then he's blue. Ridiculous. If this movie was half the length, it would have become a camp classic. But it's way too long to become even that. However, I must admit it is often quite a beautiful movie to look at. Stunning at times. Overall, "The Trial of Billy Jack" is a career killing mess.