DVD Review: The Pink Panther 2 - Page 2

OK. Plot. A notorious international thief known as “Il Tornado” (what, Rudy Ray Moore is at it again?) has been stealing numerous priceless historical artifacts (e.g. the Magna Carta, Shroud of Turin, etc.). This prompts a collection of super sleuths (dubbed the “Dream Team”) from various countries to put their heads together to figure our the identity and location of “Il Tornado” before it’s too late. Unfortunately for Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (John Cleese, taking over for Kevin Kline), the Dream Team has requested that Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) join the investigation.

Naturally, it doesn’t take for the Dream Team to deduce that Clouseau is a fool and soon, his snobby ineptitude places the entire inspection in a jeopardy. Worse still, one of the detectives has the hots for Clouseau’s would-be girlfriend, Nicole (Emily Mortimer) — causing the proverbial male rivalry to commence. And so, between the search for “Il Tornado” and his quest to finally face his true feelings for Nicole out in the open, Clouseau has his hands full — as does his trusty assistant Ponton (the great Jean Reno, who also returns for another go at a successful franchise).

While it may not be the greatest comedy/mystery ever made, The Pink Panther 2 can still provide a good laughs (especially if they completely and totally pretend that the other incarnation never existed). A subplot of a police liaison (Lily Tomlin) trying to teach Clouseau the meaning of “politically correct” is inspired (which gives Martin an opportunity to utter the classic “little yellow friend” line). It’s always a delight to see John Cleese and Jean Reno doing comedy. And, the ensemble of co-stars — Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki, Aishwarya Rai (as members of the Dream Team), and Jeremy Irons (as a suspect) — is rewarding for fans, especially the moments where Martin, Molina, and Garcia play off of each other.

MGM gives The Pink Panther 2 a modest DVD and Blu-ray release. The DVD presents the film in an anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 ratio with an appealing transfer. The colors are well-balanced, and contrast is about as good as you’d expect for a movie as recent as this. The English 5.1 sound came through all fine and dandy-like, and the disc also boasts French and Spanish 2.0 Surround options. Subtitles in English (SDH) and Spanish are also included.

Article Author: Luigi Bastardo

Luigi Bastardo is the disgruntled alter-ego of Adam Becvar, a thirtysomething lad from Northern California who has watched so many weird movies since the tender age of 3 that a conventional life is out of the question. …

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