The recently created criminal syndicate run by Pearly Gates (Peter Sellers) and Nervous O’Toole (Bernard Cribbins) is in jeopardy when a new Australian gang, that impersonates policemen, begins stealing the criminals’ hard won booty. As this is upsetting the “delicate balance” between cops and robbers, the syndicate decides to cooperate with Inspector “Nosey” Parker (Lionel Jeffries) and Scotland Yard till the “IPO” mob is caught.
A Sellers vehicle produced when the Post-War British Comedy movement was in its death throws, The Wrong Arm of the Law is funnier in concept than execution. Filled with British stalwarts and with Sellers putting in one of his better performances, it still comes off dry. The jokes are there, if you look closely, but in a relaxed way. This is a languid movie that suggests you get a beer and a magazine and watch between articles. Since my first viewing in the ’60s, I’ve always remembered this film affectionately, and that seems to be the best way to appreciate this work—as a memory.
The gags are ones you’ve seen before, but they are done well. Sellers switches between phony French and Cockney accents while Jeffries plays up the stereotypical English bobby (“‘Ello, ello, ello. What’s all this then?”). There’s plenty of silly crimes and good natured banter between the harmless and pleasant criminals and the broad and ineffective police.
Like 1959’s I’m All Right Jack, where Sellers played a crusty shop steward, there are some jabs at organized labor and unions, but unlike in the earlier film, they are good natured. The criminals spend less time actually stealing anything than in meetings, training sessions, and on their paid vacations, but the suggestion here is that society is running smoothly and everyone is happy (until outsiders rock the boat).
Any fan of Sellers or Post-War British Comedy will be mildly happy with this feature, but it will have little to interest anyone else.
Film legend claims that Michael Caine has a small, non-speaking part, but I’ve never been able to find him, and I’ve only heard others speculating that “I think that’s him, in the back, maybe.”