La pantera rosa 2

Having watched almost all the previous and Pink Panther movies which starred the late Peter Sellers as the bungling, world famous and the legendary French detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau and Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, I was looking forward to this one, as I had previously watched the 2006 one as well.

A bungling traffic cop is called upon to join a team who are investigating treasures that are being stolen. But he fears that someone will steal the famous diamond as soon as he leaves France.

Starring Steve Martin, John Gleese (former "Monty Python" actor and famously remembered for his character as "Basil Fawlty" in "Fawlty Towers" TV series), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Emily Mortimer, Geoffrey Palmer, Andy Garcia, Jean Reno, Jeremy Irons and Jack Metzger, this is directed by Herald Zwart and is written by Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Webber and Steve Martin.

This Pink Panther cannot be compared to the ones that starred the late Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom. The jokes – the gags are there and are good but something or the other makes it predictable, which the previous "Pink Panthers" didn't and this is perhaps the biggest let down to a "watchable" level in terms of rating. Steve Martin is quite convincing and does make one laugh and this is perhaps the saving point of this movie. But unfortunately, the same cannot be said for John Gleese - bit of a let down there and the character of "Cato," the karate servant, which was played by Burt Kwouk in the previous ones, is missed even though reference to the martial art are there.

Nevertheless, this is a movie that is worth watching once but if, like me you have enjoyed the previous Pink Panthers, then one should not expect much from this and should not compare it with them.. And finally, what can be said about the former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) except that she looks good and has performed well.

As I said in my review of the first installment of this line: Steve Martin has walked in the Valley of the Kings. He has faced some pretty amazing obstacles, and he has stood in some pretty big shadows. Let's face it. Although his rendition of, "The Out-of-Towners," was amusing, he's no Jack Lemmon. While I LOVE his Sgt. Bilko portrayal, he's not Phil Silvers. Cheaper by the Dozen wasn't horrible, but he's not Clifton Webb, either. He's Steve Martin.

You may not appreciate his style of comedy, but the Peter Sellers-venerated character of Inspector Jacques Clouseau made for the best use of Martin's prolific use of pratfalls, ironic wit, and in your face sarcasm than any other character he has tackled previously.

But the character portrayed by Martin herein has something I never saw in Sellers' portrayal after the second installment...genuine heart. This is sweetly honest in its attempt. I feel that this will actually turn into a legitimate franchise reboot, if the average movie-goer will stop attempting to compare Martin's Clouseau to Sellers' Clouseau. They are two different actors, and Martin has stated to the point of nausea that he is NOT attempting to "do" Sellers' interpretation of the character!

As far as the MOVIE goes, it is sweet, funny, and enduring with a strong story, a stronger relationship element, and a great cast. I did not miss Kevin Kline nearly as much as I supposed I would. John Cleese was a perfect Dreyfus, showing us the beginnings of Herbert Lom's trademark twitch, when dealing with Clouseau. Very nice!

I think, when looking back, Steve Martin's Jacques Clouseau will be remembered fondly by the new generations, just as prior generations stubbornly cling to Sellers' character in spite of Martin's superior portrayal.

All in all? I love it. It is a(n almost) violence-free, blood-free, honest attempt at a family film. This is great! and I cannot wait to get it into my collection.

It rates an 8.4/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Again the Pink Panther with Steve Martin as the inept , botcher inspector . Three important burglaries shock Governments of Britain, Italy and Japan where are robbed the Japanese Imperial sword, the Great Bill , and Shroud of Turin prompting governments to set up a detective 'dream team' to resolve these crimes supposedly committed by a criminal named 'Tornado'. France there are a great mayhem for the robbery of his ¨Pink Panther¨ an enormously expensive diamond and assigns bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, his assistant Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), and Secretary, Nicole (Emily Mortimer), to this issue . Although Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese replacing Kevin Kline)from the Surete would much prefer seeing Clouseau issuing traffic tickets. The team, consisting of detectives from Britain (Alfred Molina), Japan (Matsuzaki), and Italy (Andy Garcia), and Sonia Solandres (Aishwarya Ray) who attempts to woo Clouseau with shady aims . They travel to Italy where 'Tornado' reportedly inhabits , being the main suspect an aristocrat (Jeremy Irons). This is where they will face their worst mission . Bungling Inspector Clouseau hasn't clues but it doesn't mind . He along with his helper Gilbert Ponton are going into disgraces, mishap , botches and wreak havoc from Paris to Rome. Then the international dream team is humiliated and newspapers publicize: ¨ Bungler Clouseau a disgrace, entire nation loses panache, French detective idiot ¨ .

The film gets entertaining and fun with hilarious moments here and there and never slowdown although contains others ridiculous and disappointing . The picture takes parts from previous entries Sellers' movies (Pink Panther, Shot in dark,The return,revenge,Panther strikes again). As Steve Martin struggles with two kids imitating Sellers and his Kung Fu fighting with Cato -Burt Kwouk- . Steve Martin combines splendidly his comic talent at his peak doing a witty spoof of the absurdities of Peter Sellers character. Evolves famous costars as Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia , John Cleese , a gorgeous Idian star as Rai and many others ; furthermore a magnificent opening cartoon titles. As always lively and jolly music ( arranged by Christophe Beck ) by the great Henry Mancini. Several chuckles and gags ,the result of which is a funny film . Film gets memorable occasion for amusing and entertainment. This sequel is better than Steve Martin's former entry .

The only person connected to this movie that showed any sense has to be Kevin Klein, who did not reprise his role as Dreyfus this second time around. Watching this movie, you have to wonder about the sense of everyone involved, from the actors to the director. The script is absolutely terrible - there's barely a plot here, and it moves at an agonizingly slow pace that will show even feeble-minded audience members that there's not much here. But I think Martin has to accept much of the blame - he co-wrote the script, and his various pratfalls show absolutely no comic timing or comic surprises - you'll see just about every gag before it actually happens. The whole movie actually makes the original remake look good, and that was a terrible movie!

Even though I knew the movie had been panned by the critics, I still agreed to go along with my friends to watch it. As the credits rolled in the end, I sat wondering what were the critics expecting from the movie...

Of course the plot is stupid, the end is predictable. But the movie delivers what every comedy intends to deliver...lots of good laughs ! If the reviewers were expecting a thought provoking plot, Oscar winning performances, or a great achievement in "moving image"...perhaps they bought the wrong movie ticket. Also, I have not seen the original Peter Sellers movie. Looks like every Peter Sellers fan hates the new series. But I really don't see why shouldn't I enjoy the jokes in Pink Panther 2 just because Peter Sellers was funnier.

This may not be the funniest movie of the year. But its 1.5 hours well enjoyed ! Don't get swayed by the critics...go and have fun in this movie !