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The set-up for The Wrong Arm of the Law is a familiar one, with
comic thieves conflicting with an equally comic police force. Nevertheless, this
is a genuinely imaginative film, upholding a brisk comic pace with the aid of
astute direction and a sharp script, which plays to the talents of the cast.
Distinctively British in its humour, with a dash of Ealing (particularly The
Lavender Hill Mob, d. Charles Crichton, 1951) and the energetic absurdity of the
Goons, The Wrong Arm of the Law combined the writing talents of Hancock's
Half-Hour (BBC, 1956-60) creators Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Goon Show scriptwriter John Antrobus and John Warren and Len Heath, who had scripted another Peter Sellers vehicle, Two-Way Stretch (d. Robert Day, 1960). As the underworld and law are brought together in a mutually suspicious alliance
against the unwelcome incursion of an Australian gang, there is ample scope to
create memorable characters in the madness. Lionel Jeffries excels as a bumbling
Inspector eager to please his superiors. Jeffries and Peter Sellers - as the
quick-witted gangleader Pearly Gates - strive to upstage one another, resulting
in some outstanding moments, while Bernard Cribbins is a riddle of anxieties and
tics as Pearly's anxious rival, Nervous O'Toole.
With international celebrity waiting just around the corner in the form of
The Pink Panther (US, 1963), this would be Sellers' final role aimed
specifically at his British fan base. Pearly Gates treats his criminal gang as
employees, doling out generous benefits including luncheon vouchers and paid
holidays on the Costa Brava. He even shows them 'educational films' such as
Rififi (France/Germany, 1955) and The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (d.
John Guillerman, 1959). His alliance with rival Nervous O'Toole leads to one of
the film's highlights, as the two bosses hold a general meeting of the crime
syndicate as if it were a democratic trade union.
Although Sellers felt Jeffries had the stronger part, he still turns in an
exhilarating performance, effortlessly switching between the sophistication of his alter-ego, costumier 'Monsieur Jules' (a dry run for Sellers' French accent
a year before The Pink Panther's Inspector Clouseau made his debut), and Pearly
Gates' steely intelligence. Although Jeffries' Inspector 'Nosey' Parker
undoubtedly has some of the best material, Sellers, with lines like (pointing to
his head) "I've got things going round in 'ere that'd make Maigret drop his
pipe," had little to complain about.
David Morrison
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1. Extraordinary meeting (3:06)
