Overview: Loosely based on the 1964 Peter Sellers original film, where the detective must solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and find out who stole the infamous Pink Panther diamond.

DVD Verdict: Steve Martin's misguided resurrection earlier this year of Inspector Jacques Clouseau keeps intact the actor's unfortunate streak of insipid remakes. It has been a particularly painful time for those of us who remember when this self-proclaimed wild and crazy guy took artistic risks (Pennies from Heaven), or made movies of exceptionally high quality (Planes, Trains & Automobiles) or actually managed to do both simultaneously (L.A. Story). Sure, dross like the Cheaper by the Dozen and Father of the Bride franchises have done well at the box office, but commercial success is exactly what these almost perversely mediocre pictures were designed to accomplish! In this often grating version, Clouseau is tapped to investigate the murder of a French soccer coach (Jason Statham) and the disappearance of the coach's famed "Pink Panther" diamond. Clouseau has been selected by Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline in the Herbert Lom role) for the high-profile assignment because it is assumed he will fail. The snooty chief inspector anticipates that Clouseau will bungle the case, thereby setting the stage for Dreyfus to swoop in, solve the case and earn the Medal of Honor for his crime-fighting skills. Dreyfus' plan is moronic, but it's not out of place in a surprisingly sophomoric script by Martin and Len Blum. Clouseau and his unflappable sidekick Ponton (the always dependable Jean Reno) stumble their way through a plot that chiefly serves as an excuse for stale gags about farts, funny accents, Viagra, giant runaway globes, crashing chandeliers and trying to parallel park silly little cars. Fingers are slammed in doors. Bicyclists are sent hurtling through the air. Genitals are electrocuted. Stuff catches fire. Director Shawn Levy, who helmed the Cheaper by the Dozen flicks, keeps the gags flying fast and furious, but most collapse quicker than a failed soufflé. Martin tries hard to sell the pratfalls, but this exercise is as unnecessary as it is painful to watch. And despite the stale comedy, the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is of superb quality. The images are sharp and spotless, the colors are rich and the blacks are perfect. Pink Panther director Shawn Levy proves himself to be a likeable and engaging talker in his director's commentary track, 11 deleted scenes are also included, and the disc also provides three featurettes: Cracking the Case, An Animated Trip and Deconstruction of the Panther: Creating the Palace Scene - which details what went into filming the picture's climax. Also, three clips dubbed Sleuth-Cams are relatively interesting behind-the-scenes glimpses of moviemaking. And then the lovely Beyoncé takes center stage in two bonus features. The first is a music video for "Check on It," which is followed by her "exclusive" performance of "A Woman Like Me" during the film's climactic sequence at the President's Ball. Finally, among the most visually lush extras is an alternate opening title sequence. Before Kurtz & Friends landed the task of creating the cartoon that opens the movie, Nexus Productions devised a computer-generated Pink Panther for an opening credits sequence that, while gorgeous, proved to be tonally out of step with the rest of the movie. The clip includes optional commentary by Levy. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

11 Deleted and extended scenes with optional director's commentary
Beyonce music video: "Check On It."
Exclusive Beyonce performance with commentary
Alternate opening sequence with optional director's commentary
Documentary: "Cracking The Case"
Three featurettes: "Animated Trip," "Deconstructing the Panther" and "Sleuth-cams on Set"
Commentary with director Shawn Levy

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