Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
When the coach of the France football team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium at the end of a game, and his huge, expensive ring with the Pink Panther diamond disappears, the ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus assigns the worst police inspector – Jacques Clouseau – to the case.
The 2006 Pink Panther remake is a largely formulaic comedy that relies heavily on Steve Martin's physical slapstick and a recognizable IP rather than fresh ideas. The plot is thin and predictable, serving mainly as a scaffold for gags. Martin commits fully to the role but the performance is divisive — broad and cartoonish rather than nuanced, and pale compared to Sellers' original. Cinematography is competent and Paris is well-utilized for visual charm but nothing exceptional. Novelty is low as it's a reboot mining an established franchise without meaningfully reinventing it. The ending wraps up conventionally with little payoff beyond the running jokes. A passable family comedy but well below the reputation of its source material.