The Gypsy Warriors

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

Two Americans do unbelievable heroics just as France is being occupied by the Germans in the Second World War - and before the United States had entered the conflict. This is the sort of film that irritates some of us sensitive Brits, though your reviewer didn't mind Tyrone Power being in the RAF and Humphrey Bogart being at El Alamein. The duo depart on a highly dangerous mission (apparently involving a "Satan bug")with the minimal of briefing, exchange wisecracks as they descend into France by parachute, and link up with several gypsies, including a redundant girl.(Oh yes,the two are seen off by a senior officer who is driven up to their plane in a car with headlights blazing; presumably the Yanks didn't think the blackout applied to them.) The two manage to penetrate a high-security laboratory - and I do admit that they have a novel way of getting their explosives in. Everything then seems to go off with clockwork precision.

The only redeeming features are some pleasant countryside and some good props - a couple of old vehicles and an impressive drainage system.

This film lost all appeal for me when I started laughing about five minutes into it. Was that really the New York city skyline being used as a French seaport in 1940? The World Trade Centers were even there! We rewound and yes, that was supposed to be a French seaport in 1940. The film was made in 1978, the Towers completed in 1976. Really, really, really big mistake. I guess the audience wasn't supposed to be intelligent enough to know the difference.

And that announcers' voice! What was up with that? I know he was providing background information but it was just plain annoying. We bought this for $5 thinking it was a good Tom Selleck movie. My comment to my husband was actually "it's a Tom Selleck movie, it can't be all that bad". It was that bad and even worse. Although after seeing the New York city skyline as France, we turned it off after we stopped laughing.

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.