Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

robertguttman "The Wrong Arm of the Law" is a sort of comic British take on the famous German crime film, "M". In that Fritz Lang classic, the criminals and the police are both out to stop a murderer whose activities are making things difficult for both of them. However, where "M" was a serious crime thriller, "The Wrong Arm of the Law" is pure comedy. And what a comedy it is, with a clever script and a first-rate cast, headed up by the superlative Peter Sellers. Known for the astounding range of the characters he could play, in this film Sellers slips effortlessly between portraying effete French couturier Charles Jules and cockney crime-boss "Pearly" Gates. In fact, Sellars slips between the two characters so effortlessly that it is easy to take for granted just how brilliant an actor he actually was. Sellers is an absolute treat to watch, and his performance should be required viewing by all aspiring actors as a lesson in how it should be done.

Jackson Booth-Millard I will admit that I didn't pay full attention, and I did doze off somewhere in the middle, but I suppose it's worth a go. Basically cockney Pearly Gates (Peter Sellers) is the leader of a gang of crooks, with no-one carrying guns or resisting arrest. Then along comes another gang, led by Irish Nervous O'Toole (Bernard Cribbins) that can apparently do better than them. With the help of turned Insp. Parker (Lionel Jeffries) they plan to set a trap for the biggest car robbery with £50,000 to be had. Also starring Davy Kaye as Trainer King, Nanette Newman as Valerie, Bill Kerr as Jack Coombes, Ed Devereaux as Bluey May, Reg Lye as Reg Denton, Dad's Army's John Le Mesurier as Assistant Commissioner, Graham Stark as Sid Cooper, Martin Boddey as Supt. Forest, Irene Browne as Dowager, Arthur Mullard as Brassknuckles, Dermot Kelly as Misery Martin and Vanda Godsell as Annette. I think it's because I dozed off and didn't pay full attention that I can't say I laughed a lot, but the ending robbery is quite good viewing. Worth watching!

PHASEDK Channel Four in the UK showed it this afternoon, and...I may have seen it years ago, but as I watched it.. wondered if it was an Ealing.Was the airfield Elstree.. didn't know. I was always a Sellers fan. Of course he was a performer, on TV chat shows as well as films. I strongly disagree he wasn't funny on TV chat shows. Parkinson was always good with him on. I want those shows on DVD, and am asking a friend in BBC archives, did they escape tape scrub? Hendrix on Lulu show was apparently one that survived as a technician checked it before scrub.. and made a phone call. So.. the film is an utter delight. Very silly of course, and yes, the 'going wrong' set up robbery near the end hilarious. I love these films as they still give a reminder, or an idea what life was like back then. If one can recognise locations, even better. My DVD collection is growing way too fast with these films being shown. Ronnie Corbet reminded us the other night when they made their TV shows.. they were never rushed. Rehearsed to perfection.. and it showed. Well,the old films still have charm and are a good reminder of life in those days. I didn't know Cliff was Mr. Bongo in Expresso Bongo! We need this escapism even more these days. New films with cgi are all very well.. but these comedies were straight up, almost reality.

MartinHafer This isn't one of Peter Sellers' best films, though it still is worth a look. It's a crime spoof about a gang that dresses up like the police and robs the crooks once they've committed their jobs. This aspect of the film is okay, but what I really liked was how the police and organized crime worked together to stop this masquerading gang! They didn't seem to like how this gang upset the unwritten rules between the cops and the robbers so they combined resources to find and stop them! The best part of this was the role played by Lionel Jeffries as the Inspector. While he was a supporting actor in the film, his performance really overshadowed Sellers'. That isn't to say that Sellers did a bad job--he was wonderful as the criminal mastermind. But Jeffries played the stupid policeman so well that you couldn't help but look forward to when he was in the film.This is a decent movie with a very good ending, but the film falls far short of the wonderful and near-perfect Ealing crime comedies (THE LAVENDER HILL MOB and THE LADYKILLERS). About the only serious negatives are that there are some real lulls in the film--it just didn't sustain the humor throughout.