Runtime: 96 interminable minutes
Directed by: Bud Yorkin
Starring Alan Arkin, who unwisely was Clouseau. In addition, there's many random actors, the only one of which I recognized was Barry Foster
From: MGM
A review requested months ago. Yes, I am a heel for not fulfilling requests MUCH sooner. I’ll try to complete the few I remember still having during the rest of June. I never know whether to name people or not but another Letterboxd user asked me for a review. They don't like it either. Their rationale: this infamous “Inspector Clouseau film without any of the people responsible for the rest of the franchise” effort makes even the worst efforts directed by Blake Edwards look not so bad in comparison.
Note that I’ve never viewed the two Steve Martin efforts as Clouseau nor the one from the 90’s w/ Roberto Benigni. However, the poor reputation that Inspector Clouseau film has is warranted. Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers feuded so The Mirisch Corporation (who made The Pink Panther then A Shot in the Dark) went on with the character despite the lack of Sellers, Edwards, nor other critical components like Inspector Dreyfus, his assistant Francois, Cato, nor the iconic music from Henry Mancini.
Alan Arkin was fine on the rare occasions I’ve seen him in the past-another problem I need to fix-but his version of Clouseau was just weird, off-putting and lacking the charm that Sellers brought to the role. The direction and music are OK although pale in comparison. The plot—“episodic” is a common term used in other reviews; that is not a lie. It is nonsense revolving around an organized crime gang and their eventual usage of Mission: Impossible face masks, but boy does much of the film fall flat.
There are a few chuckles along the way; in totality, though, Clouseau (both the film and the character as portrayed in the film) was tiresome and not enjoyable to watch. Before anyone speculates, I do NOT have heat with the individual who made this request. In fact, it did make me appreciate Sellers in the role even more than before. Moreover, while some do like the film, others may feel the same that I do—they should take my review as a word of warning before deciding to ever give Inspector Clouseau a shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment