The Pink Panther

The Pink Panther

24/3/2006 1h 33m 5.9/10

Overview

When the coach of the France soccer team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium in the end of a game, and his expensive and huge ring with the diamond Pink Panther disappears, the ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus assigns the worst police inspector Jacques Clouseau to the case.

Director

Marty Eli Schwartz

Top Billed Cast

Jean Reno

Jean Reno

Ponton

Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Clouseau

Emily Mortimer

Emily Mortimer

Nicole

Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline

Dreyfus

Henry Czerny

Henry Czerny

Yuri

Beyoncé

Beyoncé

Xania

Reviews

Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Neto

6/18/2022

5/10

**A decent film, which has what it takes to entertain us minimally, but which is still far from the quality we would like to see.** After many years dormant, the "Pink Panther" franchise was entitled to a very brief resurrection with two films starring Steve Martin. I saw the original films, from the 60s, 70s and 80s, in which Peter Sellers played the infamous Inspector Clouseau. With the death of Sellers, the franchise continued, with some absolutely bad films that dictated its end. This new film was heavily criticized by critics and was not able to give the public everything they wanted, but the truth is that it was a box office success and that, even today, it has the right to recurring exhibitions on TV channels, something that the original movies don't have it anymore. The choice of Steve Martin for the protagonist, I believe, was quite wise, insofar as the actor knew how to do a job that respects and seeks to honor the legacy of Sellers (an actor that Martin himself admitted that he admired a lot). Martin is good at what he does, and he's a well-known comic actor, but the humor he bets on is more predictable and idiotic than Sellers' humor, and the truth is, he's not particularly funny. Jean Reno was a welcome addition, as the actor is quite comfortable with the role and the kind of humor that is reserved for him. Emily Mortimer works very well as a platonic love interest. I found her much funnier than the protagonist himself. Kevin Kline doesn't work very well as Dreyfus: the actor gave him a seriousness that takes away all the fun. In turn, Beyoncé seems to have been chosen only for her physical beauty and ability to mobilize her fans to see the film. She can't play a character, she's just being herself. The screenplay is part of the problem with this film, with a far-fetched and rocambolesque story in which the pink diamond is stolen almost in plain sight, shortly after the death of its owner, a famous football coach. The story is simply weak and unappealing. And while the cinematography is decent, the filming locations are well-chosen and well-used, and the animated opening credits are pretty well done, the rest limps a lot: editing and visual effects work are the film's weak points, the pacing seems uneven and unbalanced and the soundtrack seems to be limited to a series of variations on top of the leitmotif given by the tone of Mancini's original music.

Similar Movies

Polish Wedding

5.0

Polish Wedding

1998

The Gorgon Case

5.3

The Gorgon Case

1977

The House That Dripped Blood

6.4

The House That Dripped Blood

1971

Day of the Mummy

5.2

Day of the Mummy

2014

School of Thieves 2

5.3

School of Thieves 2

1987

Zombies of Mora Tau

5.4

Zombies of Mora Tau

1957

Sketchy Characters

0.0

Sketchy Characters

2024

L'allenatore nel pallone

6.5

L'allenatore nel pallone

1984

Five Minutes to Live

5.4

Five Minutes to Live

1961

The Shouting Men

6.0

The Shouting Men

2010

Long Flat Balls

5.3

Long Flat Balls

2006