TV Reviews : ‘Road Raiders’: Derivative Look at War as Fun

Never mind this “MASH” and “Tour of Duty” and “China Beach” malarkey. Remember when war was fun ?

No? Well, the two-hour made-for-TV movie/series pilot “The Road Raiders,” a World War II action-comedy (tonight at 8 on Channels 2 and 8), will do its horn-tootinest best to remind you of the days when men were men, gals were compliant and the Japanese were to be greeted with lead, not real-estate bills of sale. Forget all that war-is-hell revisionism. “Road Raiders” brings back the happy-go-lucky fantasy days of yore when war was all about raising hell.

Indeed, it seems like a creaky artifact from 15 or 20 years ago, back when Hollywood was busily churning out nostalgic product about the “good” wars to take our minds off the not-so-great one. The only updated element marking “Road Raiders” as distinctly a product of the 1980s is the strangely familiar modern costume worn by hero Bruce Boxleitner--a white jacket over a white T-shirt, along with a 6 o’clock shadow. Well, it was shot in Florida.

Florida is doubling here for the Philippines, where Boxleitner--as Capt. Rhodes, an irreverent ex-officer on the run after being unjustly accused of being a traitor--is trying to cajole his way out of that no-man’s-land during the Japanese invasion. Impersonating the recently deceased officer who was trying to haul him in, he accidentally finds himself in command of a ragtag bunch of military “oddballs, castoffs and misfits”--who will, inevitably, end up effectively saving the allied forces.

The chief perpetrator here is executive producer Glen A. Larson, who also came up with the derivative story, co-wrote the derivative teleplay and even co-wrote the derivative theme music, which sounds like a bad dream John Williams would try to shake off. Richard Lang directed in the most perfunctory fashion. Our suggestion: A fall season in the brig for the whole lot of them.