Revenge of the Pink Panther

It appears that Peter Sellers' number is finally up, but the attempt on his life fails and he takes it upon himself to find the person who tried to have him assassinated. Naturally Sellers trips into every situation and the results are once again hilarious and tedious at the same time. The by-the-numbers-film-making is apparent here, but still Sellers is able to make the material work to an extent. Sadly this would be his last "Pink Panther" film as he would pass away before the next could come out (the next one just has archived footage of Sellers). Fair once again, but probably the weakest of the first five in the series. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Peter Sellers made 5 Pink Panther movies; this was the last and, in my opinion, the best. Planning a 6th, he died before it could be made. I remember reading in a biography that, as he was practising his Clousseau voice for the 6th film, his wife told him that the dialog he was reciting was "barely intelligible." Just the thought of that makes me chuckle. (Very nasal now: Peuwp - did you say "Peuwp?").

This Pink Panther film contains myriad classic scenes. Right at the beginning we see Clousseau (dressed as Toulouse Lautrec) tossing the "beuwm!" toward Professor Balls, who is saved from the explosion by the "new shipment of inflatable goiters!" Then, as he explains to his boss what has happened, he sets the office afire from the burning embers on his clothes and, exiting, proclaims "I must apprehend this mad 'beuwmber' before he does anymore of the 'dam-ajje'."

This goes on and on. You must be a real Clousseau aficionado to appreciate it, I suppose. It's an acquired taste! Nevertheless, I think it's a funny movie if you like silly, somewhat refined, slapstick comedy.

Peter Sellers returns as Chief Inspector Clouseau in this fifth and final installment of the `Pink Panther' series, in `Revenge Of The Pink Panther,' directed by Blake Edwards. This time around, Clouseau becomes the target of a drug lord, Douvier (Robert Webber), who finds it necessary to prove to colleagues that he is still `strong.' When the assassination attempt is summarily pronounced successful, it affords Clouseau the edge of pursuing the criminals through the use of disguise and the deft application of stealth as only Clouseau could effect. Meanwhile, former Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is pronounced fit, and returned to his position at the department. And, as would be expected, it all adds up to a bad time for the criminals, as well as the hapless Dreyfus. Edwards does a good job with this film, though it's not on a par with the previous outing, `The Pink Panther Strikes Again,' which was arguably the best (and funniest) of the series. There are scenes involving behind-closed-door meetings of the criminal element that seem to bog things down a bit, but with Sellers on hand they seem almost insignificant, for as soon as Clouseau arrives on the scene they're up and running once again. And Sellers has some classic moments in this one: Trying on new disguises at the establishment of Dr. Auguste Balls (Graham Stark), a veritable haberdashery for undercover surveillance; posing as a rotund `Godfather' and insinuating himself into the mob; and a foray as a peg-legged pirate with an inflatable parrot on his shoulder. The story line in this one may be considered thin-- Edwards gives it just enough to serve as a setting in which to showcase the talents of his star-- but there's nothing wrong with that; it's funny stuff, and watching Sellers work is worth the price of a ticket alone. One of the most memorable moments in the film, however, is courtesy of Herbert Lom, as Dreyfus gives the eulogy for the `late' Chief Inspector Clouseau and can barely contain his mirth, with his tears of joy construed, of course, as grief. And for the first time in the series, Clouseau's faithful manservant, Cato (Burt Kwouk) accompanies the Inspector during his investigation, which adds to the merriment, but is not necessarily a boon to getting the case, as Clouseau would say, `solv-ed.' The supporting cast includes Dyan Cannon (Simone Legree), Robert Loggia (Marchione), Tony Beckley (Algo), Andre Maranne (Francois), Charles Augins (Vic) and Douglas Wilmer (Police Commissioner). With "Revenge Of The Pink Panther,' Edwards delivers an above average comedy that is good for a lot of laughs, and he finishes it off with an extended, slapstick finale that really gives some sock to the overall movie. What will stay with you forever, however, is the image of Clouseau, and recalling his antics will provide you with some chuckles for a long time afterwards. In the end, this film stands a tribute to the great Peter Sellers, as proof positive that NOBODY does it better. I rate this one 8/10.

Be forewarned--no matter what you see, this is THE last Pink Panther movie. Shortly after this film, Peter Sellers died and the studio had the nerve to try to continue the franchise! On the first, we have a female cop take on the case and interview all the characters from the previous films. In the second of these awful films (THE TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER), we find outtakes and clips from the previous Panther films being strung together with a tenuous plot. In the third, Roberto Begnini stars as Clouseau's son (a pretty lame way to continue the series). And just recently Steve Martin (whose career really seems in the dumps during the last few years) reprises the role. Uggh! Just let it go, folks! In this FINAL Panther movie, Sellers is up to his old craziness but the film isn't quite as way out and weird as the last. Chief Inspector Dreyfus is out of the mental asylum after it is widely reported that Clouseau is dead. Kato also thinks Clouseau is dead and turns the apartment into a kinky Chinese brothel. But, Clouseau is NOT dead and Kato's scheme is quickly uncovered. However, Dreyfus is not informed of this and when he sees Clouseau again, he thinks he's once again going mad. A cute entry and well worth seeing, despite Robert Weber and Dyan Cannon not exactly being the best supporting cast the series has seen.

My second favourite Clouseau film, after The Pink Panther Strikes again. I am at a loss to read reviews from those that fail to find this movie funny, it contains some incredibly funny scenes, it is virtually a live action cartoon, gags an' all. The funniest scene of the lot has to be the Eulogy, Lom's delivery is nothing short of sublime, it is an agonisingly funny moment, only he could have done it in such a way. Other highlights include The Salty Swedish Seadog, it's the look on the dog's face that makes it so funny, and of course there's the hilarious wardrobe scene, where all it took was the word peekaboo, and a reaction from Lom to make a hilarious scene. The first half of the movie is definitely funnier then the second, and it does perhaps tail of a little, but it is still a hugely enjoyable watch, with some super funny moments, who could forget Sellers's godfather? 8/10