Revenge Of The Pink Panther (1978)

The head (Robert Webber) of a major drug cartel in France takes it upon himself to assassinate the famous Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers). However, when a transvestite killer (Sue Lloyd) is killed instead and his body identified as Clouseau, the real Clouseau goes undercover. Directed by Blake Edwards, this was the sixth entry in the PINK PANTHER franchise and Sellers' last performance as Clouseau (he passed away 2 years later). Although the film was a financial success, the series was beginning to show some exhaustion. The gags are uninspired and it seems no fresher than, say, THE FULLER BRUSH MAN with Red Skelton but with a bigger budget. When Burt Kwouk drives an out of control cart on the docks of Hong Kong, you wait for him to overshoot the dock and go into the water and like clockwork he does. When the cast runs into a fireworks factory, you groan because it's so obvious and sure enough, explosions everywhere. Dyan Cannon is always a welcome presence but she's totally wasted here. The rest of the cast includes Herbert Lom, Robert Loggia, Paul Stewart, Tony Beckley and Adrienne Corri.