“A Shot in the Dark” (1964) a perfectly adequate Pink Panther sequel

Plot

A chambermaid at the Ballon residence in Paris is accused of murdering her lover. Against the wishes of Chief Inspector Dreyfuss, the infamous Clouseau is assigned to the case. Death follows the maid wherever she goes, yet Clouseau is stubbornly convinced of her innocence. (Taken from google)

Capsule

Absurdist murder-mystery involving Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) turning a blind eye away from the damsel (Elke Sommer) that has death following her tracks. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Clouseau never doubts her innocence for a second even when she’s caught with the smoking gun. This structure allows for several excellent gags with Sellers playing the naive patsy and all the action in the plot taking place around him as the ignorant lover. Moreover, the film has a fun cast. George Sanders plays a rather obvious, yet eccentric upper-class businessman that conveniently has an alibi for the time and place of the murder. Herbert Lom, more known for his horror roles, is a good straight man to Sellers ridiculous antics. As far as Pink Panther sequels go, this one is fine. The slapstick elements are humorist and I appreciate Blake Edwards’s willingness to go way over the top. However, there’s a ceiling of enjoyment to these films and I found it long before the final act started.

– Peter Sellers is the reason to watch the film. His buffoonery is quite endearing and he’s unbelievably committed to the bit. Every scene involving Kato (Burt Kwuok) and martial arts made me burst out in laughter

– The Pink Panther films are timeless and while some of the humor doesn’t age well, it’s such a breezy experience that it’s easy to become enamored