The Pink Panther 2

Steve Martin here reprises his role as the hapless Inspector Clouseau - now relegated to parking-meter duty but soon to be pitted against his nemesis Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese, filling the boots of Kevin Kline) yet again in this sure-fire box office hit. Back too are Emily Mortimer and Jean Reno, but the whole tale is plumped up by the new blood of Andy Garcia and Alfred Molina, who play international detectives investigating the disappearance of the Pink Panther diamond at the hands of a mysterious figure named the Tornado. There are bursts of fresh energy too from gem expert Aishwarya Rai, and prime suspect Jeremy Irons. It is, you will gather, an impressive cast, but this Pink Panther outing still feels very tired. The jokes are derivative and the visual gags just a little lame, and altogether it seems to lack any real verve or enthusiasm for its tale. Fun for an aimless afternoon on the telly perhaps, but not quite cutting the mustard for a cinema outing. ·