Movies

THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER sees the franchise updated with a '70s vibe after a long delay. Overall, it's a mixed bag of a film, let down by long and pointless scenes which take the energy away from it: that opening heist sequence, for example, is absolutely interminable. Thankfully, Sellers is on form whenever he's around, and I got a lot of laughs out of his dodgy French accent (which seems to have directly influenced a certain character in 'ALLO 'ALLO here). Established regulars like Herbert Lom and Burt Kwouk are also excellent value, and Christopher Plummer's suave thief a delight. As for the film itself, it definitely goes on too long, and the non-comedy scenes are laboured. The slapstick moments are generally funny, though, so it's hard to be too critical.

This is the first Pink Panther sequel I've seen, and is what I think much, much funnier and exciting than the original film. Here, he is on the trail to find the thief that stole the Pink Panther jewel.This film features Clousseau's obsessive boss Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who absolutely loathes Clousseau, and Cato Fong (Burk Kwok), Clousseau's servant. Both Clousseau and Fong join forces to track down the diamond, resulting in nothing but a fun crime story, adventures and non-stop physical, clumsy comedy. The fight between Clouseau and Cato in the apartment is hilarious and Dreyfus losing his mind due to Clousseau driving him insane is priceless.Overall, a sequel that is surpasses the first Pink Panther film by miles.Grade B+

Return of the Pink Panther is an outstanding comedy starring Peter Sellers as the lovable and totally incompetent Inspect Clouseau. I remember seeing this film for the first time just after its release and laughed so hard that my wife refused to sit next to me in the theatre. There are a few slow spots, mainly those without Sellers' charm on screen but there are more than enough belly laughs in this movie to make up for that. Don't miss it.