to the school, their bus breaks down and local townspeople confront the students and threaten to set their bus on fire. Billy Jack appears during the incident to protect the students and then comes to the attempted rescue of a tribal member who is being harassed and beaten to death at a local dance in town. Billy managed to use his Karate on Posner, who gets killed by the kick to the throat. However, the National Guard is stationed around the school and is ordered to open fire on the students, killing four and wounding hundreds more. The entire story is told through flashbacks by teacher Jean Roberts from her hospital bed after the shooting. During Billy's trial, he mentions the 1968 My Lai massacre and recalls, in a flashback scene, witnessing a similar incident while serving in Vietnam. Cast Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack Delores Taylor as Jean Roberts Victor Izay as Doc Teresa Kelly as Carol Sara Lane as Russell Geo Anne Sosa as Joanne Lynn Baker as Lynn Riley Hill as Posner Sparky Watt as Sheriff Cole Gus Greymountain as Blue Elk Sacheen Littlefeather as Patsy Littlejohn Michael Bolland as Danny Jack Stanley as Grandfather Bong-Soo Han as Master Han Rolling Thunder as Thunder Mountain William Wellman Jr. as National Guardsman Production Part of the film was shot in Monument Valley in Utah. Release The film opened on November 13, 1974 in one of the widest releases of the time. It opened in an additional 150 theaters two days later, totaling more than 1,000 theaters in its opening week, including 180 four wall distribution locations in New York, Philadelphia and Phoenix. The wide release was accompanied by a $3 million advertising campaign in the opening week. Reception Box office In its opening five days, the film grossed $9 million and was number one at the U.S. box office, where it remained for three weeks. By 1976 the film had earned $6,716,000 in theatrical rentals in the United States and Canada. Its international take was very small; Laughlin suggested that American government agencies conspired to force the film to be "banned in almost every country in the world" to hide its "scorching exposés" from foreign audiences, though he admitted that he had no supporting evidence. Critical The film was a commercial success upon its release in theaters, but met with a harsh reaction from critics. Vincent Canby of