A Shot in the Dark (1964)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

A Shot in the Dark (1964) – B. Edwards

Peter Sellers is back as Inspector Clouseau in this sequel to The Pink Panther that now revolves around him.  He is called in to solve a murder in the mansion of rich George Sanders, presumably committed by Elke Sommer who is caught more-or-less red-handed.  However, Clouseau believes she is innocent, probably for no good reason.  As you would expect, there is heaps of slapstick and awkward moments.  Burt Kwouk plays Clouseau’s butler, ready to attack him (for training purposes) at any moment.  Herbert Lom is Commissioner Dreyfus, Clouseau’s commanding officer, cracking up with every Clouseau accident that occurs but unable to bring himself to remove Clouseau from the case.  Although there is a mystery plot – and all the suspects are brought together into one room at the end for Clouseau to announce the murderer – there is actually no real plot to speak of.  Instead, we just get some great set-ups for laughs (particularly, the nudist colony scene), where perhaps my anticipation sometimes outweighed the actual jokes.  Still this is better than the first film.