Billy Jack [WS] [35th Anniversary Ultimate Collection] [5 Discs]

"Billy Jack, the half-breed Native-American mystic, Vietnam veteran, and martial-arts-trained vigilante created and portrayed by Tom Laughlin, became one of the iconic characters of '70s cinema, and while critical consensus about the Billy Jack films has always been sharply divided, there's no arguing that then as now, there's a large audience who've embraced his message of keeping the peace, but getting even when necessary. While the four films Laughlin wrote and directed featuring Billy Jack -- The Born Losers, Billy Jack, The Trial of Billy Jack, and Billy Jack Goes to Washington -- were all released on DVD by Ventura Distribution in 2000, the company has upgraded their discs and reissued them in a special five disc package, Billy Jack: The 35th Anniversary Ultimate Collection. The set features newly remastered DVDs of all four movies, all given letterboxed transfers in their original widescreen aspect ratios (1.66:1 for The Born Losers, 1.85:1 for the others) which are also enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. The Born Losers was transferred from a print that shows a bit of wear at the beginning and end reels but is colorful and sharp, while the other three films look strong and clear throughout. All four movies have been remixed for surround sound playback in Dolby Digital 5.1, while the original mono mixes are also included, mastered for two-channel play in Dolby Digital Stereo. Tom Laughlin and his wife and collaborator Delores Taylor recorded commentary tracks for Ventura's 2000 DVD releases of the films; those tracks are included, as well as brand new commentaries, with Laughlin and Taylor joined by Frank Laughlin, who is both the producer of this set and the couple's son. The bonus disc includes a computer-animated short on Laughlin and Taylor and how they came to make and market Billy Jack, as well as a collection of television spots for the film, an animated gallery of stills, and a trivia quiz. The onscreen menu for the extras disc states that excerpts from a book by Laughlin and Taylor about the making of Billy Jack are included, as well as raw footage from one of the film's fight scenes so users could edit their own version, but neither of these features could be accessed on the copy of the set we reviewed. Still, at a list price of under 40 dollars, Billy Jack: The 35th Anniversary Ultimate Collection is good value for money for fans looking to pick up all four films, and offers plenty of background on the movies and the people who made them."