Tim Kidner 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.

Bill Slocum Peter Sellers comedies from before 1964 often come off to me as dingy, dated, and a bit twee. So "The Wrong Arm Of The Law" surprised me. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as easily as I did.The movie's title comes from a predicament mob boss Pearly Gates (Sellers) calls the "oldest bleeding con in the business": Dress up like coppers, catch other criminals in the act, steal their loot, and get away. After being stung eight times, Gates' own gang call on the real law for help.It's easy to confuse this with "Two-Way Stretch", another caper comedy Sellers made three years before, with both Bernard Cribbins and Lionel Jeffries in key support roles. "Two-Way Stretch" is amusing but stale; this holds up both as a story and large-scale character piece.By day, Gates sells high-end women's clothing with the help of a fake French accent, using his knowledge of the well-to-do to mastermind burglaries. Cribbins is a rival crime boss so non-threatening he shows off his family photos; Jeffries is inept police inspector "Nosey Parker", who suspects a buy-off attempt when Gates first appears in his office."I'm not trying to bribe you, mate," Gates replies. "I don't carry loose change."Also on hand to bring considerably sex appeal is cat-eyed, slinky Nanette Newman, Pearly's girl. Watching her make out with Sellers' stomach in one scene is pretty erotic stuff; she is also cleverly integrated into the rest of the story.Director Cliff Owen did mostly British TV work. He shows himself here an accomplished cinematic stylist. An opening credit sequence recalls "Catch Me If You Can". The ending is remarkably satisfying; all the story elements come together with surprising grace. You wish Sellers' later, bigger-budget comedies were as well crafted.One caveat: There are no big laughs in "Wrong Arm", just many small ones and amusing asides that keep coming. There's a gentleness reminiscent of an Ealing comedy. When the different gangs discover they're all being had by the same outside interest, they call a meeting where parliamentary rules of order are carefully observed. A pickpocket demands to be heard as the "voice of the small man".Jeffries is the best thing in the film. You know he's a wally, but you like him anyway, and feel a bit when he makes a mess of things with his superiors. "Why do they always pick on me?" he whines, not at all like the hard-case he played in "Two-Way Stretch". Sellers is very good as well, sliding effortlessly between his London and French accents.People who generally avoid Sellers films before "Strangelove" are well advised to make at least this one exception. "Wrong Arm" is a smooth treat that still stands up well, right up there with "The Ladykillers" and "I'm All Right, Jack" in quality and lighter than either.

David Frieze Peter Sellers is, unusually, the quiet at the center of the storm that makes up the plot of this wonderfully funny film. He plays Pearly Gates, a criminal (and women's wear salesman), who learns that an Australian gang is dressing up as policemen, intercepting Pearly's mob in mid-theft and making off with the goods. He joins forces not only with the leader of a rival gang, who are also suffering from the Australian competition, but also with the police, who don't want their reputation besmirched.Sellers is very good, but top acting honors go to Lionel Jefferies as the hopelessly idiotic policeman trying to prove himself by catching the criminals. Jefferies and Bernard Cribbins, as Nervous (the rival gang's leader), give expertly larger-than-life performances while getting their biggest laughs with throwaway lines and subtle bits of business (like Nervous finishing up his negotiations with Pearly by pulling out some family snaps). Cliff Owen's direction is very sharp and very fast, and allows a cast of experienced character actors to do their best work. Dennis Price displays flawless timing and delivery in a small, unbilled cameo. This film might just be a hidden classic.

ShootingShark 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.