Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau is dead. At least that is what the world—and Charles Dreyfus—believe when a dead body is discovered in Clouseau's car after being shot off the road. Naturally, Clouseau knows differently and, taking advantage of not being alive, sets out to discover why an attempt was made on his life.
Revenge of the Pink Panther is a late-series entry that largely rehashes familiar Clouseau formula without significant reinvention. The plot device of faking one's death to investigate a conspiracy is serviceable but thin, and the mystery elements are largely perfunctory. Sellers remains charming and committed in the role, elevating the material above its script, but the supporting cast is underused. Cinematography is workmanlike for a late-70s comedy. Novelty is low — by the sixth film in the series, the bumbling inspector shtick is well-worn, and this entry offers little new conceptually or stylistically. The ending wraps up predictably with the usual Clouseau-triumphs-by-accident resolution. A pleasant if unremarkable farewell to Sellers in the role.