A Shot in the Dark

Say "Inspector Clouseau" in front of me and I'm very likely to recall a scene from this very film. The exit from the car into the fountain, the fall from the window, the devastating interrogation of the suspect (devastating for the inspector's suit), several rides in the police car, billiards, a series of attempted murders, the final confrontation between everyone, during which the protagonist just looks helplessly into the camera... Peter Sellers is phenomenal, and you can easily believe his character could bring a tube of pills into a mental institution. (08/11/2014)

A Shot In The Dark is the rightful beginning of the Pink Panther series. It’s true that Blake Edwards made The Pink Panther a year before this gem, but there, officially executive idiot Clouseau only played the role of a supporting character, which was one of the few bright sides of an otherwise rather shabby detective conversation film. This film bears all the distinguishing marks on which the series is based. Above all - the colossal exhibition of Peter Sellers, who had one of the most complex comedy performances in history. His Clouseau is built to the last detail (just listen to his stupid "acsant") and it's Sellers' famous acting that makes some scenes absolute classics - I can't help but notice the legendary billiard destruction, in which it truly pays to watch Sellers' movement and facial expressions. Then there is the humor - based on typical grotesque elements (falls, blunders, destruction, etc.), and also on Clouseau's intelligent verbal humor (I suspect everyone and no one at the same time). Then there is the detective plot, which gives way to the above, but still has an original resolution. Everything taken together? Brilliant fun with some unforgettable and unsurpassed ideas (a more original character than Kato is hard to find), the excellent Herbert Lom in the role of the nascent psychotic Dreyfus and a few dead spots that remind me of the dryness of the original Pink Panther. Fortunately, there are very few of them. (14/09/2004)

It's incredible the scenes and jokes that were managed to be devised in this film. Clouseau, as portrayed by Peter Sellers, fully transforms into his classic character here, and it's him who carries the whole film, although, of course, it wouldn't work without Elke Sommer and Herbert Lom. Great elements that make an excellent whole. (04/11/2016)

“Give me ten men like Clouseau and I could destroy the world.” Certainly, this kind of slapstick may seem somewhat childish, but thanks to Sellers, it is undoubtedly stylish. Additionally, the increasingly unhinged Dreyfus, the clumsy Cato, and the assistant Hercule, whose expression reflects a magical combination of hidden disdain and clear ignorance, enter the scene. The final gathering of suspects in one room recalls the methods of a certain Belgian colleague, but with the difference that the demon of clumsiness from Sûreté here evidently loses control of the case. Although… how can you lose something you never had? (28/12/2022)

Finally, Clouseau as the main character and immediately a hint at a complete cult. Although it took two more films for that to happen, all the unforgettable trademarks were already present here. The omnipresent Kato, the exaggerated accent ("yes, mules"), and above all, Dreyfus – originally just a skeptical boss and gradually becoming an increasingly crazy victim of the uncontainable incompetence of his subordinate. (18/01/2007)