The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)

Filled with brilliant lunacy and over-the-top comedic flourishes, The Pink Panther Strikes Again delivers the absurd goods for which the series is known. Played even broader than its predecessors, Strikes Again finds Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) in the super-spy role pitted against his incredibly evil nemesis Dreyfus (Herbert Lom. In one wacky moment after the next, Sellers throws subtlety out the window to match the film's exaggerated tone -- a tactic well-suited for delivering even more immediate laughs from the bumbling hero. The slo-mo kung fu scene is unbelievably funny, as are the moments in the interrogation scene, which border on Clouseau's best. As far as the supporting cast, Lom hams it up in his wide-eyed Bond villain role, while Lesley-Anne Down makes the screen sizzle every time her Russian minx character appears. With a cartoon-like bouncy feel to it, The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the perfect idiocy for the slapstick soul. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide