"Inspector Clouseau" is the most obscure entry in the Pink Panther franchise, even more obscure than "Curse of the Pink Panther" or "Son of the Pink Panther." Technically the third movie in the series, "Inspector Clouseau" finds Alan Arkin in the title role of French Inspector Jacques Clouseau, a character Peter Sellers had started to make famous in two previous movies and a character that Sellers would become inextricably linked to in four more afterwards. "Inspector Clouseau" lacks the boundless energy of director Shawn Levy and actor Steve Martin's 2006 entry in the franchise or the subtle sophistication of any of director Blake Edward and actor Peter Sellers' indisputable classics, but director Bud Yorkin and actor Alan Arkin's entry is undeniably unique and actually quite entertaining.
"Inspector Clouseau" finds the ever klutzy Clouseau heading from France to London to France again and then onto Switzerland to take on the psychotic gang behind the Great Train Robbery, led by the mysterious "Johnny Rainbow" (Clive Francis). Clouseau is assisted by shifty Scotland Yard Inspector Weaver (Frank Finlay, who played Inspector Lestrade in "A Study in Terror" and again in "Murder by Decree") who arms Clouseau with an array of James Bond-style gadgetry. Along the way Clouseau, as he's always had the knack to, finds his way into the arms of beautiful babes and takes out dangerous underworld assassins trying to kill him, all completely on accident.
Bud Yorkin's directing style is quite different from Blake Edward's, and the whole movie feels like a completely different animal from any of the other Pink Panther flicks. But the movie finds a charm and sense of fun all its own. A lack of a jazzy Henry Mancini score adds to the distance from other Panthers, but Ken Thorne's hummable score is a suitable replacement. Memorable moments include a scene where Clouseau moves from chair to chair while being debriefed by the Scotland Yard commissioner (Patrick Cargill), a scene where he finds himself "modeling" for a seductive photographer, and a hilarious sequence where he and Weaver become intensely competitive playing games on a speeding train. There's also a sufficient number of twists and turns that make this movie worth a look despite its obscurity.
