History Film / HornetsNest

If the movie has a fault (its [[RapeAsDrama rape scenes]] aside), it is that it is a little on the unrealistic side when it comes to the battle scenes, and also can't quite seem to settle on a tone or moral. We have (essentially) [[ChildSoldier untrained kids]] mowing down countless Nazis left and right, and it can't quite seem to decide if it wants to show war as a [[WarIsGlorious fun adventure]] or as a [[WarIsHell grim reality]] with tragic psychological tolls that come with children becoming killers, and its efforts to have it both ways leave it feeling a bit disjointed.

* ActionPrologue: The massacre of Reanoto and the botched American landing.

* AdaptationExpansion

* AttemptedRape

* BigDamPlot

* ChildSoldier

* ColdSniper: Scarpi.

* DoomedHometown: Reanoto.

* UsefulNotes/FascistItaly: The {{Novelization}} has a few Fascist Italian soldiers show up in a few scenes, but they're absent from the film.

* [[HeyYouHaymaker "Hey, You!" Gunshot]]: [[spoiler:Von Hecht kills Taussig this way.]]

* InMediasRes: How the movie begins.

* KillTheCutie: Poor [[spoiler:Carlo]].
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Major Taussig]].
* LaserGuidedKarma
* LastNameBasis / NoNameGiven: We never learn Turner's first name.

* {{Novelization}}: A rather pulpy one by Michael Avallone.
* OutOfFocus[=/=]WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Schwalberg. Although seen with von Hecht as his SatelliteCharacter for basically the entire film, up towards the end, he just sort of vanishes. May also overlap with UncertainDoom (see below).
* PayEvilUntoEvil

* ThePoliticalOfficer: Gunther.

* RapeAsDrama: Aldo and some of the older boys try to force themselves on Bianca when she won't treat Turner because he's an enemy soldier. [[spoiler: Turner saves her, but later it's very strongly implied he rapes her himself. The scene cuts away, though.]]
** It's worth noting that in Michael Avallone's {{Novelization}} [[spoiler:the sex is consensual, albeit a bit rough, of the SlapSlapKiss variety]]
* RapeDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:When Turner forces himself on Bianca, it cuts away]].
* RatedMForManly

* RefugeInAudacity: The scene where one of the kids distracts a German soldier by walking up to the guy and taking a piss in front of him.
** The kids later distract the Germans at the dam by skinny dipping in the reservoir.

* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized

* SmokingIsCool

* StuffBlowingUp

* UnscrupulousHero: Turner, who unhesitatingly arms children and trains them to kill and even [[spoiler:commits rape at one point]]. He comes dangerously close to being a NominalHero. However, his intentions are good, and he has enough PetTheDog moments and a good enough HeelRealization scene to avoid being completely nasty.

* WarIsHell

* WouldNotShootACivilian: Von Hecht doesn't kill civilians and dislikes the murderous SS. However, he considers Partisans fair game and isn't above using the threat of being turned over to the SS to entice Italian civilians not to harbor or aid them.

* EgomaniacHunter[=/=]TheHunter: Von Hecht. He sees the lone American commando running around as a challenge he ''must'' accept.

* OutOfFocus[=/=]WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Schwalberg. Although seen with von Hecht as his SatelliteCharacter for basically the entire film, up towards the end, he just sort of vanishes.

* AntiVillain: Captain von Hecht is mostly a Type I. A ruthless but honorable German officer unhappily serving an evil regime (some shades of Type II).

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Hermann and Ehrlich, who are never seen apart.

* FreeRangeChildren

* EgomaniacHunter / TheHunter: Von Hecht. He sees the lone American commando running around as a challenge he ''must'' accept.

It's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. In the [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] village of [[DoomedHometown Reanoto]], the [[ThoseWackyNazis SS]], under the command of the cruel Major Taussig (Jacques Sernas), massacres the entire adult population while a group of children look on from nearby. Not long afterward, a group of American soldiers led by [[TheStoic the stoic]] Captain [[AntiHero Turner]] (Rock Hudson) are to parachute in for a top-secret commando mission, but are waylaid by German forces led by the stern, no-nonsense Captain [[TheVonTropeFamily von Hecht]] (Sergio Fantoni). Only Turner survives, and barely. He's found by the kids from Reanoto, who are led by the borderline psychotic Aldo (Mark Colleano).

The kids nurse Turner back to health aided by a [[HospitalHottie beautiful]] captive German doctor named Bianca (Sylva Koscina). In return for Turner teaching the kids how to load and fire machine guns, Aldo and the gang will help Turner complete his original mission, filling in for his dead team and [[BigDamPlot blowing up the supposedly impregnable Della Norte Dam]]. Turner clashes with Bianca over what is best for the boys, whilst Aldo begins disliking the American taking over leadership from him, and, in the meantime, von Hecht is hunting for Turner, whom he knows is alive.

It's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. In the [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] village of [[DoomedHometown Reanoto]], the [[ThoseWackyNazis SS]], under the command of the cruel Major Taussig, massacres the entire adult population while a group of children look on from nearby. Not long afterward, a group of American soldiers led by [[TheStoic the stoic]] Captain [[AntiHero Turner]] (Rock Hudson) are to parachute in for a top-secret commando mission, but are waylaid by German forces led by the stern, no-nonsense Captain [[TheVonTropeFamily von Hecht]]. Only Turner survives, and barely. He's found by the kids from Reanoto, who are led by the borderline psychotic Aldo.

The kids nurse Turner back to health aided by a [[HospitalHottie beautiful]] captive German doctor named Bianca. In return for Turner teaching the kids how to load and fire machine guns, Aldo and the gang will help Turner complete his original mission, filling in for his dead team and [[BigDamPlot blowing up the supposedly impregnable Della Norte Dam]]. Turner clashes with Bianca over what is best for the boys, whilst Aldo begins disliking the American taking over leadership from him, and, in the meantime, von Hecht is hunting for Turner, who he knows is alive.

It's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. In the [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian village]] of [[DoomedHometown Reanoto]], the [[ThoseWackyNazis SS]], under the command of the cruel Major Taussig, massacres the entire adult population while a group of children look on from nearby. Not long afterward, a group of American soldiers led by [[TheStoic the stoic]] Captain [[AntiHero Turner]] (Rock Hudson) are to parachute in for a top-secret commando mission, but are waylaid by German forces led by the stern, no-nonsense Captain [[TheVonTropeFamily von Hecht]]. Only Turner survives, and barely. He's found by the kids from Reanoto, who are led by the borderline psychotic Aldo.

It's WorldWarII. In the Italian village of [[DoomedHometown Reanoto]], the [[ThoseWackyNazis SS]] under the command of the cruel Major Taussig massacres the entire adult population while a group of children look on from nearby. Not long afterward, a group of American soldiers led by [[TheStoic the stoic]] Captain [[AntiHero Turner]] (Rock Hudson) are to parachute in for a top-secret commando mission, but are waylaid by German forces led by the stern, no-nonsense Captain [[TheVonTropeFamily von Hecht]]. Only Turner survives, and barely. He's found by the kids from Reanoto, who are led by the borderline psychotic Aldo.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Ennio Morricone's score makes frequent use of a jaunty whistling tune.

* VillainousBSOD: Taussig suffers one when he returns and finds all of his men slaughtered.

* WarIsGlorious: Until RealityEnsues, anyway.

* OutOfFocus / WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Schwalberg. Although seen with von Hecht as his SatelliteCharacter for basically the entire film, up towards the end, he just sort of vanishes.

* NominalHero: Aldo. Although he claims he has the other boys' best interests at heart, he reacts violently to ''any'' challenge to his authority, real or perceived, and tends to fly off the handle when he doesn't immediately get what he wants. As the movie continues, it becomes clearer and clearer he [[SanitySlippage enjoys killing a little too much]].

* FascistItaly: The {{Novelization}} has a few Fascist Italian soldiers show up in a few scenes, but they're absent from the film.

* AdaptationNameChange: Dino is named "Guillermo" in the {{Novelization}} and Friedrich von Hecht's first name is given as "Wilhelm."

* AdaptationExpansion: The {{Novelization}} begins with a unique chapter depicting Turner and his team training for their mission and reporting to their superior before heading off.

* FailedASpotCheck: This is what gets Gunther killed. Coming in, he doesn't notice Turner standing directly to his right, allowing the American to disarm him and [[NeckSnap break his neck]].

* DyingLikeAnimals:
** The people of Reanoto at the beginning die like Mice, unresisting against the SS.
** The Partisans die like Boars, charging heroically into battle and promptly getting cut down.
** The SS die like Mules, massacred in direct reprisal of their own slaughter of Reanoto, an act Taussig apparently didn't think would come back to bite them.
** Many of the Germans on the whole die like Ostriches, ignoring evidence of Turner's true target, the dam, and not listening to von Hecht.

* EgomaniacHunter: Von Hecht. Has some shades of TheHunter as well. He sees the lone American commando running around as a challenge he ''must'' accept.

* KillTheCutie: Poor [[spoiler: Carlo]].
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Taussig]].

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Colonel Jannings, the SS commander in the area who goes out of his way to make life difficult for von Hecht.
* OutOfFocus: Schwalberg. Overlaps with WhatHappenedToTheMouse a bit. Although seen with von Hecht as his SatelliteCharacter for basically the entire film, up towards the end, he just sort of vanishes.

* SmugSnake: Taussig. Aldo also has some elements of this.

* NominalHero: Aldo. Although he claims he has the other boys' best interests at heart, he reacts violently to ''any'' challenge to his authority, real or perceived, and tends to fly off the handle when he doesn't immediately get what he wants. As the movie continues, it becomes clearer and clearer he [[enjoys killing SanitySlippage a little too much]].

* NominalHero: Aldo. Although he claims he has the other boys' best interests at heart, he reacts violently to ''any'' challenge to his authority, real or perceived, and tends to fly off the handle when he doesn't immediately get what he wants. As the movie continues, it becomes clearer and clearer he enjoys killing [[SanitySlippage a little ''too'' much]].

* NominalHero: Aldo. Although he claims he has the other boys' best interests at heart, he has a HairTriggerTemper, reacts violently to ''any'' challenge to his authority, real or perceived, and tends to fly off the handle when he doesn't immediately get what he wants. As the movie continues, it becomes clearer and clearer he enjoys killing Nazis a little ''too'' much. [[spoiler:He even accidentally kills his friend Carlo in his zeal to kill himself some Nazis.]]

* HeelRealization: Turner suffers a minor following [[spoiler:the rape scene]], but he shrugs it off. After [[spoiler:the death of Silvio]] however, he suffers a full-blown one. Aldo also suffers a delayed one at the end [[spoiler:over accidentally killing Carlo]].