Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)

Best movie ever!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This one is hilarious. It is one of the best ones. Peter Sellers is in it. All the criticisms of the first review on the list of reviews are unfounded. This one is good.

There is such a thing as trying too hard to be funny, and Revenge of the Pink Panther does just that. Trying to catch the coattails of the original Pink Panther (1963) and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), This movie just falls flat. All the original humor is gone, and the overacting is more than can be borne. By the time The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) all the jokes had been played out and the writing had lost all of its juicy humor. The acting is just bad, and some movies are so bad, they are fun to watch, but not this one. Too much make up, karate scenes that had none of the original flavor, and overplayed lines make this movie not worth the price of the ticket. What a bad career move for Diane Cannon this was. One of the worst movies ever. Horrible. Unbearable.

Fifth in the "Pink Panther" series (sixth if you count 1968's "Inspector Clouseau", which starred Alan Arkin) opens with a promising set-up--Clouseau, who is marked for assassination by the millionaire businessman who heads up the French mafia, is mistaken for dead--but fails to come up with anything remotely funny following the introductions. Director/producer/co-screenwriter Blake Edwards (who also gets a story credit!) does some uncharacteristically lazy work here. Peter Sellers can't even get laughs dressed in transvestite's clothes or disguised as a mafia godfather. Edwards must have been relieved to close the chapter on Clouseau after this abysmal installment, though he was persuaded to piece together another film (1982's "Trail of the Pink Panther") from series outtakes after Sellers' demise. * from ****

To demonstrate his powerfulness, crime boss Philippe Douvier (Robert Webber) decides to kill Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers). His men kill a transvestite instead and mistakenly believes that Clouseau is actually dead. The former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is brought back to give the eulogy and lure out the killers. Meanwhile Clouseau and his man-servant Cato Fong (Burt Kwouk) aim to track down his would-be assassin.The best thing about this Pink Panther sequel is the return of Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, and Burt Kwouk. The trio represents the best combination in the Pink Panther franchise. The movie is kind of boring whenever the three isn't on screen. The opening is problematic because of that fact. One of the three should be on screen at least 95% of the time. They are chuckle worthy just by being there. The rest of the cast is forgettable and unimportant.