Pink-Panther-Full-Story-Review

THE PINK PANTHER
A film from Columbia Pictures and Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Based on the Pink Panther films of Blake Edwards
Runtime:1 hr 33 min approximate
Cast:
Steve Martin
Kevin Kline
Jean Reno
Emily Mortimer
Henry Czerny
Kristin Chenoweth
Roger Rees
Beyonce Knowles
Story By Len Blum and Michael Saltzman
Screenplay: Len Blum and Steve Martin
Produced by: Robert Simonds
Directed by Shawn Levy
A comedy movie from Columbia Pictures and Metro Goldwyn Mayer with actor Steve Martin acting in the lead role and is playing role of a police Inspector who has been assigned to trace out a most wanted killer and the thief of the national treasure of France, the Pink Panther diamond.
Steve Martin has simply excelled in his role as Inspector Jacques
Clouseau who has brought envy upon the Chief Inspector Dreyfus who wants all the honour for himself but for the wicked ways of solving cases Clouseau is rewarded accidentally all the time.
As the movie begins the Chief Inspector recollects memories of Clouseau and his blunders.In a traffic jam Clouseau mismatches the battery cables of a wheel chair and brings panic. But he has now decided to put on him for a new case. The case is that of a murder and the missing pink panther diamond. It occured during a football match between France and China. According to the Chief Inspector he was invited as a special guest to see the match as he has been nominated seven times for police medal of honour. But sadly he has never won any.The coach of the French team came out to the ground and raised his fist and on it the pink panther diamond.International popstar Xania was his girlfriend who was also a spectator for the match. The match has been won by the French team and team players and news reporters ran to the middle of the ground and among them the team coach. Suddenly the coach fell to the ground. Someone has used a dart on his neck and he died and the pink panther on his finger has been stolen.Thus the case begins. Clouseau makes a fine entrance by helping a lady named Nicole who was fixing pictures of Dreyfus on the wall. It was funny seeing him carrying her in the shoulders and running around and dashing on the walls. After the meeting with the Chief Inspector he has been introduced to the media. Clouseau ends up with a vow to find the killer.
Inspector Clouseau enters his new office and meets Miss Nicole, his
office assistant. He eventually causes a big globe to roll down the office into the streets which causes the cycle rally to collapse and mess up the whole traffic.
The chief inspector actually needed to diverse the eye of the media from the case to Inspector Clouseau who is the worst investigator and in the meantime he will took up the case and earn the real honour by taking much needed time. He assigns a spy who can work with Inspector Clouseau and report all his whereabouts to him. Thus Gilbert Ponton joins Clouseau. After a funny conversation Clouseau agrees him to be his partner in finding the killer.
By this time, the Chief Inspector with his personal investigation team discusses the case. He suspects a chinaman to be the killer as the poison is Chinese. He assigns everyone to take up each mission to solve the mystery. In the office of Clouseau, he says to Nicole that this case is the biggest opportunity of his lifetime.It is very late at night and Nicole offers her assistance. But Clouseau warns her not to stay with him as the slightest gesture may be misinterpreted by today's world as harassment. He by his words gives the most respect for a woman. But the meeting ends in a most humorous way and just opposite the way Clouseau mentioned.
Inspector Clouseau is also conscious to teach the junior second grade officer Ponton the ways of a police officer. He wants to keep him vigilant and for that he came up with a funny idea. He will attack Ponton whenever and wherever he wants without warning. When Ponton agrees to it Clouseau raises his hand to hit him. But Ponton hits on Clouseau's nose before Clouseau could hit him. Thus Clouseau pays the price for the blunder.Thus they together starts the investigation.
Clouseau visits Xania in the recording studio, the soccer trainer, the soccer player who was suspended by the murdered coach. All these scenes are filled with comedy.Later the soccer player was killed.
Inspector Clouseau and Ponton visits the hotel where the murdered coach used to go. Clouseau interrogates the hotel owner. One can surely name him a bafoon as he makes some statement which seems to be important and serious but in real it is just opposite. He clubs two statements which have no connections together. Thus one could feel the idiotic sense of the worst inspector in Clouseau. But with the help of a secret agent, Clouseau became a hero who rescued the people in the hotel from attack of robbers. His news hit the stands. He has been given the medal of honour.
Later the team plans to go after Xania who fled to Newyork. Inspector wants to learn the US accent. He engages a coach. It is very interesting scene to watch when he learns to speak:"I would like to buy a hamburger". He ends up nowhere.

The team goes to Newyork.Ponton finds that Xania made phone calls to some blackmarket diamond companies.They follows Xania under the cover of newspapers. Clouseau falls into a subway while chasing Xania with his face covered by newspaper. Ponton and Clouseau meets some badguys. They had to fight them to move ahead. Clouseau only showed the movements while Ponton engaged in the real fight and in the end Clouseau complimented Ponton that it was a good team work.They met Xania who said she was trying to fix a purse which was falling apart. Clouseau wants to seduce her to know her real intentions. Now Xania invited him to her room for dinner.There he set the room on fire and flooded with water.
The next day Clouseau and Ponton arrives at the airport.In the meantime the Chief Inspector Dreyfus has set trap for Clouseau. In the airport the assignee of Dreyfus replaces Clouseau's bag with that of her. Clouseau had hidden some hamburgers in his coat's pocket. While security check he has been caught. The sniffer dog catches smell of hamburger. While the personnel asks him what is in his pocket, Clouseau makes many attempts to say hamburger but each time pronounced incorrectly. Again his news hit the stands but now for the wrong reason. Clouseau has been taken off from the case. Chief Inspector took over the case and at the press conference he said that an arrest is imminent. He suspected a chinaman who was in the VIP box during the soccer match and had connections with the coach.He is an invitee to a special function in Paris and chief inspector plans to arrest him there.
While in home Clouseau reads the news of his airport tragedy. The site also had a photograph of the incident. Suddenly Clouseau's eye caught something special.He took a closer look at the photo. He called Ponton who had changed his mind and now willing to work with Clouseau. He calls Nicole too. But Clouseau has been refused to took part in the function. Clouseau and Ponton enters the function in disguise.As they are caught by the security personnel, Nicole comes to their rescue and introduces them as the backup dancers for Xania who is performing in the function. But as the personnel asks them to prove it, Clouseau and Ponton shown him some real steps of dance with Xania's song been heard in the background.

In the end Clouseau gets the real killer and recovers the pink panther diamond from Xania's purse which was clearly seen in the photo taken during the security check in the airport and shown in the website.
The film is very good to watch. Several cuts have been made from its earlier old versions and necessary changes also made to some scenes. The director has made an attempt to observe that there is no unnecessary lag in the scenes. Anyhow the cuts are made without affecting the sense of humour. Leading actor Steve Martin also penned the screenplay. The film in its newer version is worth to watch.