Pink Panther 2 - the return of the calamity king

Feb 11 2009 Surrey Herald

The Pink Panther 2 (PG)

Mention The Pink Panther and Steve Martin in the same sentence and you're likely to be met with a high percentage of disapproving faces.

The iconic role of Inspector Clouseau, played by Peter Sellers from the early 60s, has been burnt on to

the retinas of generations of film fans who cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the poor 21st century attempts. And after Martin's debut as the inept inspector in 2006, he proved that filling Sellers' shoes wasn't as straightforward as he'd hoped.

So, it seems odd that Sony have bankrolled another feature film with Martin at the helm as Jacques Clouseau. Thankfully, the sequel isn't as terrible as the first offering, but it still only manages to cough and splutter its way through a weak script, citing only a few laughs along the way.

Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) has been driven insane by Clouseau's (Martin) antics of late, so he places him in the role of issuing parking tickets around Paris. But the man who single-handedly saved the

Pink Panther diamond is about to be assigned to the most prestigious case in the world.

Inspector Dreyfus is ordered to recruit Clouseau to the crack team of experts who are tracking down the Tornado, an international master criminal who has stolen a vast amount of the world's most precious jewels. But as soon as Clouseau is onboard, the Pink Panther diamond disappears. So it is down to the bumbling buffoon to

capture the Tornado and once again save the Pink Panther diamond.

Unfortunately, some terribly unfunny sketches that pop up far too often eclipse the few humorous moments.

It's clear that this film is aimed at the younger audience members who have never seen the Peter Sellers' masterpieces and can just take the character of Clouseau for what it is.

The Pink Panther 2 is definitely a step in the right direction from its predecessor, but it is still far from reaching the dizzy heights it so desperately wants to achieve.

For some Sunday afternoon entertainment you could do worse, but don't rush to the cinema expecting to see a classic.

Pierce Hunt 4/10