Former convicted criminal from the first Billy Jack movie and focal point of a riot where a few dozen people were killed now gets an appointment to the US Senate via Governor Richard Gauthier. Only in the movies.

Tom Laughlin felt that Jimmy Stewart's character of Jefferson Smith was a proper vehicle for the expression of his ideas and so Billy Jack Goes To Washington was born. The 30s classic is given a reworking and Jefferson Smith's national boys camp is now coed and to be modeled on the Indian reservation school where Delores Taylor mentored the kids.

But now instead of a dam, a nuclear power plant is to be built and in Washington style the appropriation is once again hidden in a bill. And if you've seen Mr. Smith Goes To Washington you know pretty much what happens here. Whole chunks of dialog from the original is lifted into this film.

Another idea that had me reeling though was included, that being a national initiative that the young folks who Billy Jack is an icon want. An idea from our country's Progressive Era unearthed and better that it should have stayed buried. This film itself gives all the arguments against it, low voter turnout, special interests getting the best media campaign money can buy from Madison Avenue. George W. Bush would have grooved on a national referendum on same sex marriage for instance during the 2004 presidential campaign.

In fact I'm willing to bet that Laughlin and Taylor are rethinking that one today. Billy Jack Goes To Washington is a bad idea of misplaced populism.

After a senator suddenly dies after completing (and sealing) an investigation into the nuclear power industry, the remaining senator and the state governor must decide on a person who will play along with their shady deals and not cause any problems. They decide on Billy Jack, currently sitting in prison after being sent to jail at the end of his previous film.

First of all, the premise is pretty silly. You get to appoint a senator, so you pick a man with no political experience who is serving time in jail? That just makes very little sense. But it is necessary to move the plot forward.

Unfortunately, the plot is pretty weak and is really just a ham-handed confrontation between Billy Jack and some corrupt politicians who are obsessed with building a nuclear reactor on a fault line. The plot idea is not bad, but the execution is so sloppy it seems like an amateur movie-of-the-week, not a theatrical release. Allegedly another 40 minutes of footage is floating around out there, but one has to wonder what more could have been added to this sprawling mess.

Tom Laughlin has an uncanny ability to predict future events. His movie BILLY JACK foretold the way action movies would go (ie. RAMBO, STEVEN SEIGAL, CHUCK NORRIS, etc.) In this particular installment of the Billy Jack Saga,the emphasis is on Washington and the way the special interest groups and power brokers have corrupted our government. It's really a prophetic film, in light of the present day situation on Capitol Hill. There is an eerie fortelling of the Vince Foster espisode.

BILLY JACK GOES TO WASHINGTON is a re-make of the Jimmy Stewart classic MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, except using nuclear reactors as the hub of the plot. Tom Laughlin, as the character Billy Jack, really has a chance to prove his acting skills in this one; there is more depth of character in his performance of the lead role. The sets were very intricate and the production values a lot higher than the previous espisodes. Plus, there is an excellent supporting cast: Delores Taylor (Laughlin's real life wife),E G Marsall, Sam Wanamaker, Luci Arnez, and Peter Donat. This is a definat must see!