Operation Valhalla

World War II has plenty of stories that can be told, some real and some mere fantasy. This tale, false but possible, takes place in France, 1940. The Germans are occupying the country and begin to take control of Paris, a time-consuming process. Beneath a winery lies a secret lab with chemicals that could contain a "Satan bug", a compound that would kill half the world in six months. Can the Americans smuggle out the compounds before the Germans use them? Only with the help of the local gypsy population.

This is not a thinking man's movie. The gypsies serve no clear purpose in the film beyond perpetuating a stereotype that they're all thieves and swindlers (with one woman ironically saying that the Europeans are always trying to cheat her people). The compound for the "Satan bug" is written on a clearly-visible note and seems to be a recipe for a harmless combination of carbon and other basic elements. And it's apparently easy to get a Nazi uniform, fake a German accent and be accepted as a superior officer in a secret base. (That's right, the Germans don't speak German -- they speak English with bad accents.) Another reviewer said this is a movie for Tom Selleck fans and no one else. I think that's a fair assessment. I love Tom Selleck, and as such I really enjoyed him as a womanizing spy disguised as a Nazi. He was a poor man's James Bond and pulled it off well. This film deserved a sequel or even a dozen sequels. Would I have liked it without Selleck? Perhaps, but I suspect not nearly as much. It's a made-for-TV movie that is as disposable as any other. Selleck's presence was the defining factor.

I recommend this to all Selleck fans. I think it's one of his better performances, even if the movie as a whole isn't that amazing. Everyone else, you may want to pass on this one. It's good to see if you happen to catch it on television during a rainy afternoon, but probably not worth a purchase and only possibly worth a rental. I own a copy, and I am proud of it, but I don't think this is the route that will work for everyone.

Before America enters WWII, two Army captains (Tom Selleck and James Whitmore Jr.) are aided by a couple of gypsies (Joseph Ruskin and Lina Raymond) in a covert mission in northern France to destroy a toxin capable of killing half the globe in six months located in a secret lab beneath a winery.

There were a lot of good TV movies in the 70s, even great ones, but "The Gypsy Warriors" (1978) isn't one of them. It comes across as a more serious episode of Wonder Woman, but without the fun spirit and Lynda Carter in her scanty costume. Yes, it's that bad.

The movie shows that acquiring Nazi uniform, faking a German accent and being recognized as a Nazi officer at an important hidden lab is easy as pie. But the protagonists are likeable and raven-haired Lina Raymond is beautiful. The last act finally works up some interest.

The film runs 1 hour, 16 minutes and was shot at Universal Studios.

GRADE: D

When in 1940 was America in the war? I could have sworn we didn't enter it until after Dec. 7, 1941.

We didn't even have a reliable intelligence organization until well after that. They built the Twin Towers just for that movie in 1940 and tore them down again? The gypsies were some of the first in all countries the Nazis went after to put in concentration camps, they hightailed it out of France as they as they could. It was almost as horrible as watching "Santa Fe Trail" with screwing up history. Except they didn't have Custer saving the day at Harper's Ferry instead of Robert E. Lee, as actually happened and having all the officers of the Civil War at West Point in the same 4 year period. Tommy should have decked out of this one and Jimmy never lived up to his dad's talent.

I am a big fan of Tom Selleck and WWII movies but it was a chore to make it through this one. The made-for-TV movie storyline is like something from an old B-movie serial.

The Germans, while occupying France, have a secret chemical lab in which the Alies want to take the chemicals and destroy the lab. They plan to do this with the help of local gypsies; whose characters are heavily stereotyped.

So what's the plan: get Nazi uniforms, fake German accents, and just go right on into the secret base without anyone realizing. I honestly think Colonel Hogan and the men from Stalag 13 did it better and with much more flair.

If it wasn't for Tom Selleck, I would have turned it off; but my commitment to Mr. Selleck forced me to finish it, all the while praying for the credits to show up.

OK, at the price it's being sold and if you are true Selleck fans go ahead and buy the DVD. However, It is as close to a "one time watch" movie as it can get... even starring Tom Selleck.

PS: If you insist on getting the movie, try getting the "Murder 101/Gypsy Warriors - Double Feature!" You still get the Tom Selleck movie, but you also get "Murder 101" with Pierce Brosnan, which isn't too bad.

I have to say that I did not watch the whole movie - I just couldn't! What with US army personnel parading around London in uniform before the US had entered the war; the stock footage of the 1970s era London Ambulance rushing the agent to the hospital; the "military" DC3 in civilian paint scheme; the Rolls driving around with headlights full on in the blackout; the "French Port" with lights blazing, also in the blackout; the "Social Club" in London that had both male and female members; the two "heroes" jumping out of the aircraft without a jump-master; and... Well, I could go on and on but I think you get the point. I just could not take this seriously and, in all fairness to the writers, I don't think it was meant to be taken seriously. But, you would have thought that they would have tried to make this wartime "buddy" movie a little more authentic. My advice is to not waste your time on this movie. Your time would be better spent sorting your sock drawer.