The Gypsy Warriors (1978)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Lou Antonio

Writers:

Stephen J. Cannell (written by)
Philip DeGuere (written by)

Release Date:

12 May 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot Keywords:

France | Undercover | German Soldier | Special Forces | Gypsy

Cast

James Whitmore Jr.	...	Captain Sheldon 'Shelly' Alhern
Tom Selleck	...	Captain Theodore 'Ted' Brinkenhoff
Joseph Ruskin	...	Grenault
Lina Raymond	...	Leela
Michael Lane	...	Androch
Ted Gehring	...	General Douglas Winfield
Albert Paulsen	...	SS Colonel Schlager
Kenneth Tigar	...	SS Captain Schullman
William Wheatley	...	Ramon Pierre Cammus (as William Wheatly)
Hubert Noël	...	Henry Deseau (as Hubert Noel)
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Lady Asten-Forbes
Lester Fletcher	...	Paul LeMatte
Linda Pierson	...	Daphne
Todd Martin	...	French Policeman
Clement St. George	...	British M.P.

Runtime:

USA:77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:U

Company:

Universal TV

Surprisingly Enjoyable Given How Low Grade It Is

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.