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For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Johnny Firecloud (1975) *** (out of 4)Johnny Firecloud (Victor Mohica) is an Indian who returns home from the Vietnam War where he expects to live a good life. That isn't the case because the local town is full of racist trash and being led by a man named Colby (Ralph Meeker) who pretty much calls all the shots. After his family is attacked Johnny decides to seek vengeance against everyone.JOHNNY FIRECLOUD comes from producer David F. Friedman and I must admit that I was really shocked at how much I liked it. The film certainly borrows from various "revenge" pictures out there but it pretty much does what any good film like this should do and that's make you care for the hero and hate the bad guys. There's no question that your blood will boil with each passing moment as this group of bad guys are really great.What's so entertaining about this film is that director William Allen Castleman really nails the mood of this small town and I thought he created a believable atmosphere. The hatred in this small town just stinks so bad that you can sit in your living room and smell it. The director perfectly makes the rednecks people you can hate and you can't help but cheer when they finally go up against Johnny. As far as the Johnny character, he's just an all around good guy and someone you want to root for.The film contains some pretty bloody violence at times including one guy who gets scalped! This bloody effect actually looks quite good in its gory details. There's also a rape sequence that doesn't show too much graphic material but it's shot so well that the impact is still there. Finally, both Mohica and Meeker are so great in their roles that you can't help but enjoy the film even more.JOHNNY FIRECLOUD deals with a serious subject matter, for the most part, in a serious way but it also throws in some gory action for exploitation fans. It's certainly an enjoyable picture.

The exploitation legend started taking his career in a slightly more mainstream direction around this time, producing such things as this racism themed revenge saga. Of course, it's just trashy enough to amuse, if not altogether satisfy, fans of 1970s drive-in features. A major studio production (from 20th Century Fox), "Johnny Firecloud" is well cast and well acted by familiar faces from both A and B pictures. It's nicely photographed in widescreen on picturesque locations, and it's got some bare breasts and some really delicious gore devised by Joe Blasco (Cronenbergs' "Shivers").Victor Mohica ("Don't Answer the Phone!") stars as the title character, an Indian who fought in the Vietnam war and who now lives in a small town dominated by a big shot rancher, Colby (Ralph Meeker, "Kiss Me Deadly"). Colby and his gang of goons are a bigoted bunch and make life miserable for Johnny's grandfather White Eagle (Frank DeKova, 'F Troop'). Their vile actions enrage Johnny to the point where he escapes from jail and goes about administering his own sadistic brand of justice.Mohica is effectively intense as Johnny, and Meeker is appropriately despicable as his nemesis. The supporting cast likewise does solid work: David Canary ('All My Children') as the sheriff with a skeleton in his closet, Christina Hart ("The Stewardesses") as Colby's daughter who'd been in love with Johnny, and busy & reliable character actors John F. Goff, Richard Kennedy, and George 'Buck' Flower (Buck was also the casting director) as Colby's associates. Adding curiosity value is the presence of the notorious Sacheen Littlefeather as Johnny's friend Nenya.Unfortunately, director William Allen Castleman doesn't give this quite as much energy as one might like; the movie is a little plodding and dialogue heavy. The good thing is that Johnny's revenge is so nasty that it makes the wait worth it. However, the resolution may not be to everyone's' taste.Still, this is an interesting little obscurity that people may want to seek out.Six out of 10.

Gritty, pulpy but professionally handled 70s revenge exploitation that could have easily been a Western. It has a familiar selection of characters, plot themes and set-pieces that could easily have been set 100 years previously, substituting horses for cars.The performances are more than adequate for this sort of thing, the redneck hicks coming across as bug-eyed, one-dimensional and evil, whereas the more sympathetic characters are given more sensitive treatment. It does have a real comic book feel interspersed with some very nasty action, which may sit awkwardly with those unfamiliar with grindhouse cinema from this era. If you're used to films like 'Fight For Your Life' or 'Gator Bait', you will probably love this.The pacing is pretty good. It threatens to drag a little towards the end but redeems itself with some strong dialogue between Johnny and the sheriff character. One of the unexpected things about this film is the dialogue - it's hardboiled stuff but cleverly done. The cinematography and score are also effective, again with some clever touches that elevate this movie above many of its ilk. Recommended.

Johnny Firecloud borrows heavily from the other stand up and fight action/revenge flicks of it's day like Walking Tall and Billy Jack. Comparing it to the latter, it's less pretentious and overtly political, making it much more entertaining in my book, although it does have a slight problem with being overlong.I think Johnny's goal of working hard and trying to find a place to fit in his hometown and as an Indian in modern America, is quite admirable. It makes the eventual (very bloody) war on the town bully and his group of nasty rednecks very satisfying.The final scene isn't particularly exciting but still worthwhile.Another thing that struck me about this film is the number of complex characters (for a drive-in movie) and sympathetic whites among the population of Johnny's town. Most of the time in these type of movies the only good white person is the town's lone attractive female. It blunts some of the other over-the-top redneck stereotypes presented in the film.For the perverts out there, Marlon Brando's favorite fake Indian, Sacheen Littlefeather, shows off her breast implants in a gratuitous rape scene where we're "treated" to the sight of a greasy fat redneck reaching up her skirt and snatching off her panties, holding them up to the camera and grinning!One of the morals of this movie is that when you have the cops on your side, don't abuse it. The same policeman that's going to let you get away with murder is liable to look the other way while your own throat gets slit!