Rent The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963)

British Comedy. - The Wrong Arm of the Law review by Steve

Knockabout cops and robbers caper which maintains a broad appeal while clearly a class above contemporary Carry On films. The star is Peter Sellers, trying out his French accent months before his debut as Inspector Clouseau. This time he's a Cockney mob boss with a front in haute couture. But the lead is Lionel Jeffries as a clueless copper.

A gang of Aussie villains is impersonating police officers and snatching the swag from every job in London. So Scotland Yard and the underworld come together to fight back. This doesn't reinvent the wheel. Parts of it can be traced back to the Keystone Kops, particularly a climactic chase sequence. And it sends up contemporary heist films.

Some of the humour is lost in time. When the gangs form a syndicate, they pastiche popular impressions of bumptious trade unions. But it mostly creates absurd situations which the actors navigate in earnest stone face. Like when the alliance meets in a funfair and negotiate on the rides. It's still funny in places, but mostly a charming entertainment.

The familiar cast considerably elevates the droll script, especially a peak period Peter Sellers. Jeffries makes a fine stooge. The location shoot around residential London lends some authenticity. This is the best of many British crime film comedies of the sixties, triggered by the success of The Lavender Hill Mob a decade earlier.