The Wrong Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Wrong Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 13, 2025

Cliff Owen's "The Wrong Arm of the Law" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by film journalist Laurence Lerman; recent program with co-screenwriter John Antrobus; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Ridiculously irresistible

It is easy to understand why the original poster for Cliff Owen’s comedy The Wrong Arm of the Law proudly promotes Peter Sellers’ name and face. In 1963, the great actor had already appeared in a few very successful comedies and was undoubtedly a good box office magnet. However, I think it is fair to declare that the poster, which by the way is reproduced on the cover of this recent Blu-ray release, is rather misleading. Indeed, even though Sellers does spend plenty of time in front of Owen’s camera and shines in familiar ways, he is not the undisputed star of The Wrong Arm of the Law. Lionel Jeffries goes toe-to-toe with Sellers and often easily overshadows him. Bernard Cribbins, Nanette Newman, Arthur Mullard, and John Le Mesurier have smaller but important parts, too. Even a very young Michael Caine pops up as a gas station attendant. In other words, The Wrong Arm of the Law is very much a team effort uniting various established and future stars.

A fair critic will also point out that The Wrong Arm of the Law is not a particularly impressive film. To be clear, it is not a disappointing film either. Indeed, it produces plenty of good laughs, it has admirable energy, and large parts of it are shot very, very well. So, what is the problem? It is an inconsistent film, one that ebbs and flows in some rather awkward ways, suggesting weaknesses in the screenplay or Owen’s interpretation of the material from it. However, it is hard to tell precisely how The Wrong Arm of the Law could have turned out a better film because the individual performances are either very good or excellent. It is just that their cohesiveness is not optimal, but this may have been an unavoidable development. Before I clarify why, here is a summation of the plot:

Three experienced Australian thieves arrive in London determined to get rich quickly, and discover that their local counterparts are a bunch of strikingly naïve simpletons. Shortly after, while disguised as cops, the Australian thieves begin arresting various British thieves, confiscating their loot, and setting them free. Veteran crook Pearly Gates (Sellers), who is running a fancy boutique in the center of London while pretending to be a renowned French haute couture designer, begins to suffer heavy losses after his crew of hapless thieves has repeated encounters with the Australian thieves and decides to restore the old way of doing illegal business. He reaches out to his main competitor, Nervous O’Toole (Cribbins), who has also suffered losses and suspects that Gates has been targeting his crew of thieves, and together they summon all members of The Organization to figure out a strategy to get rid of the Australian thieves. During an emotional mass event where various crime elements debate the best strategy, a decision is made to team up with Scotland Yard, whose top brass are working on their own strategy to stop being embarrassed by the Australian thieves. Gates is then authorized to establish contact, but when he does, he begins working with Inspector Parker (Jeffries), quite possibly the biggest idiot to have ever been hired by Scotland Yard.

The laughs in The Wrong Arm of the Law are almost exclusively a byproduct of the confusion and misunderstanding that emerge between different parties after the Australian thieves go to work. So, the chaos is what generates the comedy. This is a classic cinematic concept that rarely disappoints. But the quality of the laughs and the rhythm of their delivery are not as good as they should have been. As a result, instead of steady, great comedic fireworks, there are sporadic delights that are easily forgettable.

How could Owen have delivered a superior comedy? He was experienced with TV productions, and large parts of The Wrong Arm of the Law convey a familiar tendency to build up and deflate such content. This creates the impression that the stars are trying to do their best work in timed segments, rather than in a feature film that is gradually evolving. While a lot of the stars were excellent performers, in many of these segments, they are rushing and hurting the cohesiveness of their work.

Owen was assisted by cinematographer Ernest Steward, whose credits include such genre films as Deadlier Than the Male, Some Girls Do, and Percy. Steward also lensed multiple episodes of the classic TV show The Professionals.

The Wrong Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Wrong Arm of the Law arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In 2022, we reviewed this Region-B release of The Wrong Arm of the Law, produced by StudioCanal. It was sourced from a very nice organic master. This upcoming release is sourced from the same master.

The overall quality of the visuals is excellent. There are only a couple of areas where the grayscale could have been managed a tad better, but even there, delineation, clarity, and depth are still very impressive. All visuals have terrific density levels as well, so on a large screen, they look wonderful. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. I suspect that grain exposure could be slightly more convincing, but there are no anomalies and, more importantly, it is already very good. The surface of the visuals is healthy. There are no distracting large cuts, debris, blemishes, marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Wrong Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I would describe the overall quality of the lossless track as very good. However, in a few areas, there is some small yet noticeable thinning. Previously, I speculated that proper and careful remastering work could introduce improvements. However, I do not believe they will be significant improvements. The audio is very healthy, and the thinning is most likely replicated as it appears on the original soundtrack.

The Wrong Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Long Arm of the Screenwriter - in this recent program, co-screenwriter John Antrobus discusses his career, work on the screenplay for The Wrong Arm of the Law, and how the stars of the film behaved during the production process. Mr. Antrobus has some very interesting comments about his friendship with Peter Sellers. The program was produced for StudioCanal in 2022. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film journalist Laurence Lerman. Some of the more interesting comments address the time period in which The Wrong Arm of the Law was made, Cliff Owen's direction, and the most impressive cast that was gathered for the film. Also, there are some good observations about its British identity and sense of humor that is at the center of it.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for The Wrong Arm of the Law. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

The Wrong Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is difficult to place The Wrong Arm of the Law among Peter Sellers' best films. It is not because it is a terrible film, but rather because the iconic actor's name is attached to some absolutely brilliant films. (For what it's worth, I consider The Party a brilliant film. It is one of my all-time favorite comedies, and each year, around Christmas, I always revisit it with friends and relatives). Also, I must clarify that The Wrong Arm of the Law is very much a team effort, so if you approach it expecting Sellers to be its biggest star, you are likely setting yourself up for disappointment. Did I deflate your enthusiasm for The Wrong Arm of the Law? This was not my intention. I just want you to approach it with the right expectations. It has flaws, but it is a pretty decent film, so if you do, you will enjoy it. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a wonderful organic master supplied by StudioCanal. RECOMMENDED.