A group of highly trained female special agents, code-named The Doll Squad, embark on a mission to prevent villainous Eamon O'Reilly (Michael Ansara) from unleashing a plague on the world.

Apparently, director Ted V. Mikels sued TV producer Aaron Spelling, claiming that the hit show Charlie's Angels was a rip off of The Doll Squad. I'm inclined to agree with Ted: the basic premise is the same, and Spelling even had the nerve to give one of his Angels the same name as the Doll Squad's leader, Sabrina (played by buxom Francine York). Coincidence? I think not.

Mikels film is a cheap, poorly acted, shoddily directed piece of exploitation with laughable action scenes, but its influence on popular entertainment is undeniable, the film paving the way not only for Charlie's Angels, but any number of movies that feature teams of kick-ass women. Tarantino has said that he's a fan, and I imagine that Mia Wallace's story about Fox Force Five in Pulp Fiction was also inspired by this film.

While the story, performances and plot are basic, to say the least, the enthusiasm of the leading ladies make it a reasonably entertaining affair, and there are plenty of unintentional laughs to be had, from the henchmen who insist on riding on the outside of vehicles to the numerous unconvincing explosions. Unlike Charlie's Angels, The Doll Squad also packs in a reasonable amount of bloody violence, with some juicy blood squibs that wouldn't fly on television.

5/10.

The only other Ted V. Mikels film I had seen before this is "Blood Orgy of the She-Devils". And the only thing I remember about it is that it was completely awful. Thankfully, "The Doll Squad" is considerably better. It is crudely directed, with often poor continuity and laughable "special effects" (low points: the fake explosions). But it is also ahead of its time: how many films do you suppose had been made before 1973 featuring female commandos using guns, explosives and martial arts to wipe out small armies of bad men? Not many, that's for sure. Whether dressed in their bikinis or in their tight, form-fitting uniforms, the women in this film look good, and handle their basic action scenes fairly well. So "The Doll Squad" may not be art (far from it, in fact),but from a female action cinema fan's perspective, it delivers where it counts. (**)

Evil madman Eamon O'Reilly (veteran villain character actor Michael Ansara in peak suavely sinister form) and his army of cutthroat mercenaries acquire possession of a deadly plague virus. Feisty government agent Sabrina Kincaid (well played by ravishing redhead Francine York) rounds up a bunch of lovely, yet lethal lady assassins who include exotic dancer Lavella Sumara (voluptuous knockout Tura Satana),Olympic swimmer Sharon O'Connor (slender blonde looker Leigh Christian),and psychiatrist Elizabeth White (foxy brunette Judy McConnell) to thwart O'Reilly before it's too late. Director/co-writer Ted V. Mikels loads this baby with more than enough spirited schlockiness to ensure that fans of cheapo 70's kitsch will be in hog heaven: we've got hot babes aplenty, ineptly staged action scenes (the clumsy martial arts fights are especially sidesplitting),a groovy swingin' funk soul score by Nicholas Carras, a tacky solarized opening credits sequence, surprisingly bloody violence, gloriously ghastly (far from) special effects, garish color cinematography by Anthony Salinas, a constant snappy pace, acceptable acting from a game cast, and a plot which serves as a basic blueprint for the suspiciously similar popular TV series "Charlie's Angels." Popping up in nifty supporting roles are Anthony Eisley as smooth CIA head honcho Victor Connelly, John Carter as the worried Senator Carter, Lisa Todd as Eamon's enticing mistress Maria, Rafael Campos as twitchy junkie flunky Rafael, William Bagdad as brutish henchman Joseph, and Herb Robins as nasty hit-man Munson. A total campy riot.