Dalbert Pringle You know, I was really-Really-REALLY (!!) hoping that Born Losers was going to be a helluva lot better than it was.Yes. I'm very hip to the fact that this "product-of-its-time" (1967) was, in fact, an independent endeavor and filmed on a mere $360,000 budget - But, all the same, it basically wimped out about 70% of the time with its bargain-basement everything (from acting to dialogue to violence to philosophy).Co-written by its ambitious director and star, Tom Laughlin, apparently this film's underlying message was supposed to be geared to promoting peace, tolerance and understanding. (Spare me!)But, the truth is, there was very-very little (if any) of that sort of stuff in this one's "bad-ass" story where our hero (of mixed race), Billy Jack (Laughlin), inescapably spent more time karate-kicking his malicious opponents into submission rather than doing any legitimate promoting of some starry-eyed, hippie-dippie philosophy. With shades of 1954's "The Wild One" hanging, like a tired cliché, over much of the action, Born Losers focuses in on the belligerent, in-your-face activities of the swastika-waving "Born To Lose" biker bad-boys who get their thrills terrorizing the folks of sunny Big Rock, California, and raping their virginal daughters for an added emphasis on entertainment.Naturally, our peace-lovin' hero, Billy Jack gets his toes stepped on once too often by these "Born To Lose" kids and that, in turn, provokes an inevitable climax of pure kick-ass retribution.This film predates "Easy Rider" by 2 years. It actually spawned 4 equally tiresome sequels and earned close to 10 times its budget ($360,000) in just the first year of its release. Personally, I found Born Losers to be only marginally entertaining. But, hey, perhaps after guzzling down a few beers, you, yourself, may actually find it to be quite otherwise.

disdressed12 (the following may contains minor spoilers)i liked this first of four Billy Jack films.it's a simple story about one man who tries to fight injustice,usually(and reluctantly) with his feet and hands.in this film,the enemy happens to be a gang called The Born Losers(hence the title)who have been terrorize the neighbourhood and victimizing people.the film is well paced with some good fight sequences.the acting is also decent enough,for the most part although there are a couple of over actors in the bunch.overall,the movie is entertaining enough,although it sends mixed messages about violence and if it actually solves problems.anyway,for me,The Born Losers is an 8/10

MarieGabrielle Tom Laughlin created an interesting character here, although he doesn't really have the physical complexion of a Native American, and is the most civilized and essential part of this film.There is a cameo scene with Jane Russell as the traumatized mother (her daughter has been raped by the gang). The California bike gang includes such characters as "Gangrene" and "Crabs" clearly people who are on the lunatic fringe, and will not be missed in the world.While it's campy and obvious at times, for its time this was a fun endeavor at delineating societal issues and conflicts. Albeit a bit veiled and mild in its messages of discrimination, it's acceptable for a fun Saturday night flick. 7/10.

garyldibert This was the start of the Billy Jack Legacy as this movie hit the theaters on August 18 1967 starring Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack, Elizabeth James as Vicky Barrington, and Jeremy Slate as Daniel Carmody. A motorcycle gang led by Daniel Danny Carmody rides through the local towns terrorizing the people and the local law is afraid of them. Enters Vicky Barrington who races to the airport to pick up her dad only to find out that she was rejected again. While the gang is riding the come across a young kid who they beat up and Billy Jack comes to his rescue. Billy is arrested along with the bikers and thrown in jail. The gang ends up raping four women who they have threaten the women into not testifying. Vicki who was raped goes under the protection of Billy Jack who has also had several altercations with the gang. The gang escalates their pressure on both Vicki and Billy Jack to keep her out of the courtroom. Some facts you may not know. This picture was banned from Sweden because of its high violence rating in 1968, 1972, and 1975. When Billy Jack and Vicky go into eat at a local restaurant they are met by an astrologer. The astrologer asks Billy when his birthday is, Billy told him August 10, and that is the real birthday of Tom Laughlin. Thoughts on the movie! I thought it was a great movie that kept my interest all the way through. You can see way Tom Laughlin did all four Billy jack pictures because he was excellent in his role as Billy Jack. Elizabeth James was excellent in her role as Vicky Barrington. She was gorgeous riding around in that white bikini on her bike. Because of Vicky and the action in this movie I give this picture 10 weasel stars.