L'infallibile ispettore Clouseau?

Bad movies with bad actors acting badly are just blah. Bad movies where you can see great actors struggling (with bad material or parts that don't fit them) bring their own special kind of pain. Watching Alan Arkin and Frank Finlay trying to make one of their unfunny scenes work, I realised that these two guys had five Oscar nominations between them. You may read in some places that this film is an overlooked gem. It isn't. Avoid it.

Many reviewers claim this production stinks because Sellers isn't in it. Okay, those are the Sellers fans. But fans of the Pink Panther series (rather than die-hard Sellers fans) may not have minded so much that it wasn't Sellers in the driver's seat so much, had the movie not been a completely disgusting spectacle. This work holds NOTHING of the wit, the humor, or the heart of the others.

I'm sorry to say that this attempt was a failure, and this chapter may comfortably be left out of your Pink Panther collection, as the finished product holds nothing in the way of charm or character.

Sadly, it rates a 2.8/10 from...

the Fiend :.

When I first saw this film, I hated it. But the reason I hated it, was because I kept comparing Alan Arkin's Closeau to Peter Sellers' portrayal. Alan Arkin's portrayal of the bumbling French detective is way out of Sellar's league. I had seen several Pink Panther films before this and thought they were highly funny.

But when I watched this film again the other day, when it was shown on Sunday lunchtime, I tried to forget about the other Panther films, and Peter Sellars.

I found myself enjoying it. And I think Alan Arkin did a great job as the Inspector. Although, still nowhere near Sellars, he brings his own unique charm to the role, and when he originally took the part, it must have been a brave decision to make, knowing how much Sellars was admired for the role.

The film itself is enjoyable and worth watching. And Arkin is funny as Closeau. If you can forget about Peter Sellers playing the role, and give Arkin a chance, you might enjoy it yourself.

6/10 .

The Mirisch company should have tried harder. It is bad enough having an Inspector Clouseau movie without Peter Sellers, but why no Blake Edwards to direct or William Peter Blatty[A shot in the Dark] to script? Instead we have a rather clever and better looking than Clouseau should be, in the shape of Alan Arkin and a rather boring director in Bud Yorkin. The problem itself is with the script which is unoriginal, tedious and not in the least bit funny. Served with a good script Arkin would have become an adequate Clouseau, but still not as funny or entertaining as Peter Sellers. This is like someone else trying to play Frank Spencer or Rigsby, from british television. Despite this Arkin is at times quite good for the film, wich does have its moments. But i suppose the lesson to be learned is if it aint broke dont fix it. If you haven't seen any other Clouseau movies then you will like this i am sure. Otherwise hunt down A shot in the Dark or The Pink Panther Strikes Again. A total waste!

I saw this particular feature, and am understandably curious why neither Peter Sellers or Blake Edwards would associate themselves with this one.

Alan Arkin looked nothing like the character made popular by Sellers. He looks like Alan Arkin with a small mustache. He sounded nothing like Clouseau, he sounded like a real Frenchman.

This movie would have been better with Peter Sellers. The screenplay by veteran Pink Panther screenwriters Frank and Tom Waldman would have been better had Peter Sellers or Blake Edwards been more involved. Even the absence of the Henry Mancini soundtrack was a crippling effect. This movie is just plain awful!