BY LEE PFEIFFER
The comedic genius of Peter Sellers is amply displayed in his 1963 hit British comedy "The Wrong Arm of the Law". Sellers was already an established star in the UK and in 1964 his reputation (and salary) would rise considerably with the release of his two major tour-de-force performances in "The Pink Panther" and "Dr. Strangelove". "The Wrong Arm of the Law" and "Heaven's Above!" (released the same year) would be the last of Sellers' modestly budgeted B&W British comedy productions. While Sellers would go on to bigger things, the charm of the British farces remains irresistible. In "The Wrong Arm of the Law", admirably directed by Cliff Owen, Sellers has a larger-than-life role as "Pearly" Gates, the leader of a London crime ring who masquerades by day as a fey French fashion designer. In amusing scenes, we see Pearly addressing his clients in an upper crust manner complete with heavy French accent. Seconds later, he berates his gang members in a back room and reverts back to normal voice as an unsophisticated gangster. Pearly orchestrates a number of audacious robberies that his men carry off successfully- until they are confronted by a rival mob who pose as police officers. They have official uniforms and use of an official squad car and intimidate the gang into giving them the stolen loot. By the time Pearly's men realize they've been snookered, the other gang has taken off with their ill-gotten gains. Unable to tell real cops from the I.P.O. Mob (Impersonating a Police Officer), as they are now known, Pearly's men have to hand over the fruits of their labors in every robbery they carry out. While Pearly considers himself a criminal mastermind, he cannot figure out how the gang's robbery plans are are known to the I.P.O. gang in advance. In reality, the plans are being leaked by his seductive girlfriend Valerie (Nanette Newman), who uses sex to disarm Pearly and have him blab about his next robbery. When Pearly learns that a rival gang headed by Nervous O'Toole (Bernard Cribbins) is also being victimized, they decide to form an alliance to thwart the I.P.O. gang. They ally with a third party, Police Inspector "Nosey" Parker (Lionel Jeffries), a buffoon who convinces the top brass to allow him to work with the two gangs in order to thwart the police impersonators, who are causing embarrassment to the department.
The briskly-paced crime spoof offers considerable pleasures. It's never outright hilarious but it is highly entertaining, with Sellers in top form and aided considerably by some of England's best comedy actors. (Lionel Jeffries is especially amusing.) The climax is a comedy of errors in which Pearly persuades the police brass to use a fortune in actual currency as the bait for a trap for the I.P.O. gang. What results is master disaster for all concerned with gangsters and police running amok trying to retrieve the loot in a scene reminiscent of the finale of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (coincidentally released the same year.) The film represents another example of how efficiently made British films of this era were- and how impressive the talent pool was that producers could utilize.
"The Wrong Arm of the Law" is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. The transfer, provided by FilmRise is excellent. Viewing is free for Prime members and it can be rented for $1.99 or purchased for streaming for $7.99.