DVD review: Johnny Firecloud (1975)

Native American Johnny Firecloud (Victor Mohica) returns from Vietnam to a desert town controlled by a white-trash bigot named Colby (Ralph Meeker) who hates Indians in general and Johnny in particular. Enraged that his daughter is in love with Firecloud, Colby catches them together, whips the bejesus out of Johnny, and has him tossed in jail. Johnny escapes from his cell and staging a one-man Indian massacre against Colby and his racist cronies that begins with a good old-fashioned scalping. Johnny Firecloud is written by Wilton Denmark and is directed by William Allen Castleman. The acting is for the most part quite good although there are some exceptions. It´s professionally shot and edited. The soundtrack is pretty awesome and add to the atmosphere and mood of the flick. The pacing is pretty good as things get more and more violent until they push Johnny to far and he turns vigilante (it happens approx 1 hour into the flick). There is some gore, all practical fx. We get eye gouging, scalp lifting and much more. The kills are all very rewarding even if not all are graphic and for the most part we only see the aftermath. There are several scenes of female topless nudity and a gratuitous rape scene.
This review is based upon the region 2 DVD release from MIB Austria/Switzerland, it´s uncut and a english audiotrack is available.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot. Johnny Firecloud is a violent vigilante flick that have you rooting for the hero and cheering him on as he takes his vengeance. Recommended to fans of vigilante flicks!

/JL