Johnny Firecloud

Title: Johnny Firecloud (1975)
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Starring: Victor Mohica, Ralph Meeker, David Canary
Director: William Allen Castleman
Duration: 98 mins

Enter Johnny Firecloud: an Indian who recently returned to his home town after 3 years in the Army. Unfortunately, his military service goes unrecognized by the trailer trash that populate his town. Especially Colby, a local bigwig who’d like to see his town Indian-free. After starting a fight at a bar and being caught with Colby’s daughter, Johnny is locked in jail. From his cell he witnesses Colby and his posse “accidentally” lynch his grandfather, the chief of the nearby reservation. Johnny manages to escape, but upon Colby’s men knowing of this, they brutally gang rape his sister. This becomes the last straw, setting Johnny hell-bent on bloody revenge. His fate rests in the hands of the town sheriff, who is being psychologically pulled in opposite ways by his sympathy for Johnny and his loyalty to Colby.

The least I can say is that this film is one hell of a ride. It is essentially a modern “cowboys vs. Indians” tale, only this time the Indians are the heroes. The super charismatic Victor Mohica as Johnny Firecloud is as perfect a hero as you can hope for. He also portrays a very human character. He is a young man in a personal crisis: to assimilate to modern culture, or to hold onto his heritage and prepare for his future as the next chief of his people. His decision is made when he sees the true “warrior” in his grandfather, whom Johnny has dismissed up until this point as a drunk man clinging to the past, at the time of his death. On the other side of the spectrum, the sheriff (the “cowboy”) has a similar decision to make: to live securely but at the mercy of Colby’s puppet strings, or to stand up and be a man for once after his socially crippling discharge from the war.

The film is successful at not only 3-dimensional characters, but at generating emotion from the audience. Now, all revenge films are meant to force the audience into siding with the tormented protagonist, but this one also takes the audience through the inner conflicts of Johnny and the sheriff. Of course the biggest and most undeniable emotion here is hate. The character of Colby is a bona fide villain in every sense of the word. Although we’re not really sure if he’s supposed to be the town mayor or just a wealthy kingpin rancher, he is the one every member of the audience is rooting for to meet his demise. As Johnny walks away from each of his victims with that little smirk of satisfaction on his face, you could imagine hearing roars of applause from the viewers during its theatrical/drive-in run.

And why, do you ask, would cause such applause in a film like this? Because Johnny Firecloud is also steeped in thrilling entertainment. The bar fight in the beginning is so over-the-top (almost everything in the bar is destroyed or slammed into, including a urinal) that Chuck Norris himself would be jealous. Also the methods of Johnny’s revenge are brutal enough to qualify for a slasher film. The nudity, provided by the only two female roles, are rather exploitive, relying not on titillation but extra onscreen oomph. The dialog is actually pretty straight-forward most of the time, however a few choice lines do manage to spark some laughter (“One of these days, you and me is gonna tangle assholes!”). Lastly, the gorgeous desert location sets a nice bleak and tragic tone for the film.

Johnny Firecloud is a picture that should be more popular than it is, especially with the Tarantino/Rodriquez crowd I would think. Whether you’re in the mood for a socially relevant film or just want some nice violent entertainment, I couldn’t recommend you a better film that you probably haven’t heard of.