mark.waltz Review of The Hornet's Nest

The Hornet's Nest (1955)

Two roadrunners, two granny's and a bunch of coyotes.

[6/10 · 14 May 2020]

This very enjoyable fast-moving caper comedy is very much like a live-action roadrunner / bugs Bunny cartoon. The villains are deliciously dumb, dumping off valuables they have stolen on the boat called The hornet's nest, and needing to get aboard to retrieve it when two young ladies move in. The young ladies are indeed the roadrunners, and the two grannies are two nosy little old ladies who live across the street and are a combination of the women from "Arsenic and Old Lace" and the Scrabble playing ladies from "Foul Play". A light-hearted but funny screenplay guides us along quickly, and it's fun to watch the criminals keep going over the cliff every time they plot to get the better of the girls. It's a neat little quota quickie that is easy to follow, won't tax your brain with British lingo that us square Yanks won't understand, and great characters to both root for and laugh at.