The Wrong Arm of the Law
1963 · Movie · NR · 94 min · ★ 6.7 · 64% critics
London’s usual cops-and-crooks routine is thrown into chaos when a new gang starts posing as police to steal from thieves. With both sides embarrassed and outmaneuvered, the real authorities and the criminal underworld form an unlikely partnership to catch the impostors.
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Streaming on BFI Player Classics.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1963
- Release date
- 1963-03-17
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Critic score
- 64/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (47 votes)
About
You’ll enjoy this if you like old-fashioned British caper comedies such as Two Way Stretch; Not for you if you want sharp modern pacing or consistently big laughs.
Pros: daft caper premise; lively comic pairing; brisk British charm | Cons: dated in places; uneven laughs; slight story logic
Themes
- london, england
- robbery
- police
- bank robber
- dark comedy
- black humor
- impostor
- informant
- disguise
- policeman
Cast & crew
Peter Sellers
as Pearly Gates
Lionel Jeffries
as Inspector Fred 'Nosey' Parker
Bernard Cribbins
as Nervous O'Toole
Nanette Newman
as Valerie
Davy Kaye
as Trainer King
Bill Kerr
as Jack Coombes
Ed Devereaux
as Bluey May
Reg Lye
as Reg Denton
John Le Mesurier
as Assistant Commissioner
Graham Stark
as Sid Cooper
Directed by Cliff Owen