The Chase of Fire Raid

Created by film director Tom Gries ("Will Penny", "Breakheart Pass"), this short-lived, half-hour series told the story of an Allied commando team during WWII. Stationed in North Africa, their job was to basically make life miserable for the Nazis who were likewise stationed there.

In this pilot episode, team leader Sam Troy (the ever-engaging Christopher George, "El Dorado") meets an English officer named Jack Moffitt (Gary Raymond, "Look Back in Anger") who will show the team how to locate an Allied dump of petrol & ammunition before the Nazis can get to it. Their chief nemesis will be a young Nazi officer named Hans Dietrich (future soap opera mainstay Eric Braeden, back when he was billed under his birth name, Hans Gudegast).

'The Rat Patrol' is a highly agreeable combination of action, intrigue, tension, drama *and* humor, and as such, it's entertaining to watch. I did come to like these characters right away: George, as always, is a pleasing screen presence, and Raymonds' earnestness went a long way. Braeden is likewise great as the antagonist.

Now, some viewers may take exception to anything they see here that they regard as inaccurate, or anachronisms, but my rule of thumb is to take entertainment like this with a grain of salt: I'm not expecting a history lesson here, and this series is looking like it will be a lot of fun.

Seven out of 10.

First of all, I am not a stickler when it comes to historical accuracy. First, I watch for enjoyment purposes and as long as the inaccuracies don't interfere with my viewing pleasure, I don't care about them. If someone is shown driving the wrong vehicle or wearing the wrong hat, it most likely won't bother me. Second, while I'm no idiot when it comes to the basics of WWII, I haven't studied it as much as some people I've seen comment on Rat Patrol. I most likely won't notice the odd incorrect rifle (or care for the matter).

Anyway, on to the mission: The Rat Patrol is assigned the task of blowing up an old Allied fuel dump before the Nazis can find it. Complicating the mission is a new British Sergeant assigned to the team.

I'd call The Chase of Fire Raid good, but not great. It does what it sets out to do - it introduces us to the main characters (both Allied and Axis) and gives us a taste of the action to come. Character introduction is pretty standard for a first episode, but it leads to the even more predictable clash between characters. Here, however, with less than 30 minutes, things get resolved unusually quick and the guys move on. The drama in the final scene surrounding the destruction of the fuel dump is handled and filmed expertly. Overall, a solid start to the series.