My Movie Review on Revenge of the Pink Panther · 8:53pm Jul 3rd, 2021

Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Revenge of the Pink Panther".

Here's the rundown of this sequel:

After being told that the crime lords of New York are suspecting that he's losing control over France, the head of the French Connection, Phillipe Douvier, decides to prove that he's still in control by assassinating the one guy who has been a thorne in evil's side: Chief Inspector Clouseau. And he manages to do just that.

Or so he thought.

Having ironically managed to avoid one of Douvier's assassination attempts, Clouseau decides to go undercover in order to track down who tried to kill him and bring the killer to justice while the rest of the world thinks he's dead. Accompanying Clouseau in his investigation are Cato, and Douvier's former secretary, Simone Legree.

After I finished my analysis on "The Return of the Pink Panther", I decided to make reviewing more Pink Panther movies a top priority since that was something I absolutely wanted to do. "Revenge of the Pink Panther" was the one I had in mind the most for what installment I wanted to review next anyway, so making a decision on the matter was no trouble at all.

Also, I know that Revenge was made and released two years after "The Pink Panther Strikes Again", but in all honesty...I've always considered it to be a prequel to Strikes Again rather than a sequel. The reasons for why are ones that I will gladly explain in this review.

So, what do I think of "Revenge of the Pink Panther" after all these years?

I really can't lie, I found this movie to be just as fun as I remembered it being.

For instance, the direction and story by Blake Edwards, and the screenplay by him, Frank Waldman, and Ron Clark, were fantastic!

When it came to making the movie as enjoyable as possible, Edwards didn't cease to amaze me. He was clearly putting himself all-in to working on this project. He and his co-writers brilliantly delivered in making the comedy aspect hilarious, and the gags were executed with genuine finesse. Likewise, the concept that Edwards and company came up with was intriguing to a tee, and it certainly wasn't predictable either. The film wasn't without a sense of heart either, which came in the form of the developing friendship between Clouseau and Simone.

The story itself is one of the reasons as to why I consider Revenge a prequel to Strikes Again rather than a sequel. It's mainly because this movie carries little to no references of the latter nor any mention of its events.

The animation done by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises for the opening credits and ending was amazing, if I may add.

What caught my attention the most about their work in this movie was that they were willing to go bigger and deeper than they did in "The Pink Panther (1963)" and "A Shot in the Dark". Their imagination and creativity obviously went off-the-leash, and so did their visual sense of humor. The best part was that the animators were clearly having a great time being involved in the project, and there was a liveliness that helped the intro and ending be consistently engaging and entertaining.

The music by Henry Mancini was magnificent as well.

In my opinion, Mancini created perhaps the very best soundtrack for a Pink Panther movie yet! His melodies carried a terrific bounce and rhythm that made them enjoyable to listen to, and the way they reflected the tone and settings of the movie was nothing short of perfection. The renditions of "The Pink Panther Theme" that he made for this movie's intro and ending are my favorites out of the all the versions of the song, and "Give Me Some Mo'", "Move 'Em Out", and "Hong Kong Fireworks" were what I'd like to call a melodious work of art. I loved those songs so much, I uploaded them to my music app!

Finally, the performances of the cast, characters, and character development were as fabulous as ever.

Just like the previous movies, Peter Sellers was a delightful showstopper in his role of Clouseau. Every moment with Sellers and his character was hysterical, and Clouseau's development throughout the film helped him be as three-dimensional as ever.

The larger role and greater amount of screen time Cato had was something I enjoyed too. Among other things, the movie provided a greater look into the character by displaying that he's not just Clouseau's servant, but a loyal friend who looks out for him every now and then. Burt Kwouk hilarious in the role, of course. But, he added an extra sense of dimension to the character too.

Herbert Lom was likewise as fun to watch in the role of Charles Dreyfuss as ever. Despite not having as much screen time as in previous movies, the character himself also wasn't without a sense of importance or development.

Speaking of Dreyfuss, I'd like to point out that he was another reason for why I consider Revenge a prequel to Strikes Again. Perhaps even the most important reason.

Near the end of Strikes Again, Dreyfuss was shown to be disintegrated by the doomsday machine he had Professor Hugo Fassbender make for him, killing him. Also, Clouseau became aware that Dreyfuss actually hates him and wants to kill him. In Revenge, though, Dreyfuss is shown to be alive and back in a mental hospital, and Clouseau doesn't know that Dreyfuss hates him and wants to kill him.

Moving on from the subject...

I'm proud to say that the guest performers turned in terrific portrayals, and their characters were noteworthy in the best way. The performers that stood out to me the most were Dyan Cannon as Simone Legree and Robert Webber as Phillipe Douvier, and their characters were welcoming additions to the series who continually developed as the film progressed and had great personality. In addition to this, the chemistry that Cannon and Sellers created between their characters was an enjoyable sight to watch.

The inclusion of Douvier and the French Connection was one that I felt made a lot of sense, really. As I looked back on the moment in "The Return of the Pink Panther" where Clouseau is handed a bomb, I noted that the assassin wasn't Dreyfuss thanks to having a closer look at his hair style and color. It was there I began to realize that he must've been someone who was assigned by the French Connection to eliminate Clouseau. Especially since one of the board members mentioned in Revenge that Dreyfuss tried to kill Clouseau two times.

As a final word of note, I'd like to add that Graham Stark stole the show as Professor Auguste Balls. Out of all the characters Stark played throughout the Pink Panther franchise, his role as Auguste Balls is my favorite by far. The addition of the character also provides a great explanation as to where Clouseau often got his disguises.

In conclusion, "Revenge of the Pink Panther" is another one of the most fun sequels I ever watched, as well as an excellent member of the Pink Panther franchise. It has a story that isn't without a sense of purpose, it works perfectly as a prequel to Strikes Again rather than a sequel, and everyone involved is in top form.

So, I rate "Revenge of the Pink Panther" five out of five stars.