recommended

An action-packed slog

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

We thought this was hilarious when it was run endlessly on HBO in the early 1980's, and we quoted it all the time: "Does your deug baht?" "Do you have a reum?". I was looking forward to seeing it again recently, but thought it fell rather flat when I finally did. It has its moments, and Herbert Lom is entertaining as "the lunatic Dreyfus", but it's not the gem I remember. (How's this for a line I bet they wish they could take back in a screwball comedy: on the topic of the disintegration of the UN, Dreyfus screams, "I want a crater! Wreckage! Twisted metal! Something the world will never forget!" In another couple decades the Twin Towers would fill that request for real.) The end picks up a little bit after a sagging middle (I thought that bedroom ambush between Clouseau and Cato would never end), so it's worth hanging on to get to the finale which has some clever stuff in it. Not as good as I remember it, though.

I've always been surprised that so many fans of the series rank this entry so highly, many calling it their favorite. In my opinion, this is actually the weakest of the five Sellers entries made within Sellers's lifetime (I don't count TRAIL or the non-Sellers entries as officially part of the series).STRIKES AGAIN has many great individual scenes that work as stand-alone skits, such as Clouseau destroying the piano, or crossing the castle moat, etc. But as a story, it isn't very cohesive. Of all the films, this is the one least grounded in reality and becomes mostly a cartoon; even the caricature of Gerald Ford adds to this feeling that you're watching a SNL sketch more than a developed-narrative.My big issue is that I don't like Dreyfus being turned into an evil villain with a James Bond-style plan to destroy the world. It seems to go against his whole character. Of course Herbert Lom gives it his all and no one will deny his talent, but for me, Dreyfus works best as Clouseau's long-suffering boss. The best scenes of SHOT IN THE DARK and RETURN are all Dreyfus having to deal with Clouseau and being slowly physically-injured and driven insane by Clouseau's incompetence. And almost every single person I know always says the best scene in REVENGE is Dreyfus delivering the eulogy at the funeral, which is basically an extension of that. But STRIKES AGAIN takes this running gag about Dreyfus hating Clouseau and ramps it up to an extreme. Dreyfus is robbed of his dignity here and reduced to a madman.And what about the great Peter Sellers? He actually doesn't feel like he's in the movie that much. Of course he is; he gets top-billing after all. But this movie just feels less about Sellers/Clouseau than the other ones do. The Clouseau character is best used when he's trying to solve a mystery and bumbles around, solving things by accident. Here, he doesn't seem to have much command of the story; he's more a pawn of the story who just falls down a lot. Even the climatic scene, in which Clouseau literally saves the world by just falling on a catapult and knocking a laser over--it just feels like lazy writing.Supposedly, Sellers was disappointed with this entry and I can see why. He's in the movie, but so much of his great charm and comedic persona feel absent or are overtaken by the crazy plot. And, as we all know, all future sequels completely ignored the events of this film and pretty much pretended it never happened. What does that tell you? If you find this movie funny, that's fine. But if you want to really see a more Clouseau-oriented film that shows Sellers at his peak, check out either SHOT IN THE DARK or RETURN.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976): Dir: Blake Edwards / Cast: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Lesley-Anne Dawn, Burt Kwouk, Omar Sharif: Here is arguably the best of the Pink Panther comedies and it certainly lives up to the reputation by providing among the best slapstick has to offer. Inspector Clouseau fumbles through another case where the solution depends on his ignorance to logic. When his former boss breaks out of prison, he commandeers a ray gun and set to use it to destroy major cities. Sight jokes are exquisite thanks to director Blake Edwards, the mastermind behind the hilarity of these films. He also made another hilarious send off to slapstick with The Great Race. Peter Sellers is fantastic as Clouseau whose quest depends on pure luck of his solutions, and he has a knack for disguises particularly when his enemy suffers a tooth ache. Herbert Lom is priceless as the villain whose sanity is tested within every stroke of bad luck. Lesley-Anne Dawn plays a diva whose seduction is foreign to Clouseau. Her initial scheme backfires but through a change of heart she will encounter a sight joke involving a bed that must be seen to be believed. Omar Sharif makes a cameo as an Egyptian assassin who makes a blunder when taking aim at Clouseau. Finally, Burt Kwouk plays Clouseau's Japanese fight companion who gets laid up but not down and out in this hilarious caper comedy. Score: 9 / 10

Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is on the verge of leaving the asylum. He is supposed to be over his hatred of Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) until the new Chief Inspector Clouseau pays him a visit. Clouseau drives Dreyfus crazy who escapes. Clouseau is at home where he fights off his manservant Cato Fong (Burt Kwouk). Dreyfus' bomb fails to kill Clouseau. Dreyfus leads a criminal group to kidnap nuclear physicist Professor Fassbender and his daughter. Fassbender creates a weapon for Dreyfus which he uses to destroy the UN building in NY. Dreyfus blackmails the world to assassinate Clouseau as Clouseau's clumsy investigation close in on Dreyfus.Evil Dreyfus is so natural that it is too obvious to ignore. Peter Sellers is at the top of his game in this Pink Panther. Clouseau's fight with Cato is pure joyous slapstick. I love that and the scenes at the Fassbender home. The comedy doesn't quite come fast and furious enough after that but it is still pretty funny. The drawbridge is a slow long burn and a pure comedic turn. This is probably my favorite of the Pink Panther movies.