The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963)

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

My DVD was the one that came in the 3 disc boxed set, along with Never Let Go and Soft Beds, Hard Battles - released by ITV DVD.Firstly, this is absolutely classic Sellers and British 1960s crime comedy at its peak and worthy of 8/10, except this print has washed out highlights and dark blacks, very contrasty results and which I'm sure (but cannot be certain) looked better in this respect on TV. Other times (different scenes) it looks fine, providing a distracting continuation. Anyway, to the film itself - Fast moving, cheeky and often with a real sense of 'situation', there's panda cars whizzing about in real London streets - and Jags and Triumphs careering down a surprising amount of countryside lanes, presumably just a stone's throw from London (& an airfield). We see Seller's Cor Blimey cockney crime-lord and Bernard Cribben's Irish counter gang clash. A gentleman's agreement with the constabulary, (headed by Lionel Jeffries and John Le Mesurier) and Pearly Gates' regular load of crooks allow for a violence free life for both parties. But when Nervous O'Toole's (Cribbens) lot impersonate PC's themselves, they are seen to be playing unfairly, hence the 'wrong arm of the law'. Pearly then sort of joins forces with Scotland Yard to flush out these new crims on the block...Nanette Newman, as Seller's missus adds some glamour and subject for the typical Seller's swooning, the sort we had in 1967's Casino Royale. Pearly runs a frock/gown fashion business as a front to his shadier dealings and this aspect slots in neatly. Whether one follows the ins and outs of the criminal proceedings, or not, it's the witty dialogue and situations that raise the film plus the huge plethora of British acting talent that pop up - and often unexpectedly.Sellers is himself, through and through, so no surprises there and so guarantees a high degree of watchability and entertainment. The swarms of regular cops look very ordinary and functional and contrast nicely with their more comical stars, who are all on good form. Somehow though, it's the twitchy Bernard Cribbens that makes the picture as we often associate him with more serious roles whilst Lionel Jeffries definitely takes the honours as the daftest/most comical character of all.

Channel Four in the UK showed it this afternoon, and...I may have seen it years ago, but as I watched it.. wondered if it was an Ealing.Was the airfield Elstree.. didn't know. I was always a Sellers fan. Of course he was a performer, on TV chat shows as well as films. I strongly disagree he wasn't funny on TV chat shows. Parkinson was always good with him on. I want those shows on DVD, and am asking a friend in BBC archives, did they escape tape scrub? Hendrix on Lulu show was apparently one that survived as a technician checked it before scrub.. and made a phone call. So.. the film is an utter delight. Very silly of course, and yes, the 'going wrong' set up robbery near the end hilarious. I love these films as they still give a reminder, or an idea what life was like back then. If one can recognise locations, even better. My DVD collection is growing way too fast with these films being shown. Ronnie Corbet reminded us the other night when they made their TV shows.. they were never rushed. Rehearsed to perfection.. and it showed. Well,the old films still have charm and are a good reminder of life in those days. I didn't know Cliff was Mr. Bongo in Expresso Bongo! We need this escapism even more these days. New films with cgi are all very well.. but these comedies were straight up, almost reality.

Pearly Gates and Nervous O'Toole, the two biggest villains in London, suddenly start finding their blags are being rumbled by a trio of Australian con-artists posing as coppers. Unable to stop this gang, they team up with Inspector "Nosey" Parker of Scotland Yard to see if their combined forces can restore much-needed order to the criminal way of life.One of the funniest British movies of all time, written by no fewer than seven men, including two of the best comedy writing duos; Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and John Warren and Len Heath. The great charm of this picture is the way it presents London gangland as a bunch of lovable clods who don't mean any harm but who take their jobs and their workers' rights very seriously. Pearly is one of Sellers' greatest creations, who tries to encourage professionalism amongst his men (he's showing Rififi, The Day They Robbed The Bank of England and The League of Gentlemen as "training" films) and there's a wonderful sequence where he chairs a villains' union meeting, complete with agenda, motions and procedural points of order ("The Chair recognises the bird on the front row."). The real star for me though is the wonderful Cribbins as befuddled, eye-twitching Nervous, complete with brothel creepers, pork pie hat and too-small suit, chastising both his men and his kleptomaniac nephew Kevin ("Ya teeving little nit !"). Jeffries, saucy Newman and gifted Aussie actor Kerr are all terrific as well, and the whole shebang rattles along at a terrific pace with buckets of funny dialogue and inventively daft situations. Don't miss an unbilled cameo by Dennis Price, as Educated Earnest of Leamington Spa. Sadly, they really don't make them like this anymore.

This is an absolutely hilarious comic crook caper, very much in the style of THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, THE Italian JOB and CROOKS & CORONETS. It's one of those stories where the crooks are pleasant people, with the traditional "honor amongst thieves" motto, who only steal from the very rich, and never actually cause anyone physical harm.(Slight spoiler warning)Then a new mob arrives in London Town from Australia (yes, the Aussies are the real villains in this - sob, sob); and don't play fairly. This affects the status quo, so the General Council of Crims and the Police Force join forces to stop them.With great comic stars like Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins (of "Right Said Fred" novelty song fame), Lionel Jeffries, and John Le Mesurier (most memorable as Wilson of the old UK comic series DAD'S ARMY); as well as great Aussie stars Ed Devereaux and a quite young Bill Kerr (who's really seedy in this), I was totally hooked. As it made my top 100, you could say I'm very fond of this uproarious effort.