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Ranking The Pink Panther Films

The Pink Panther was a long-running franchise that consisted of many failures, both old and newer. I personally only watched the great entries starring Peter Sellers, who is the best and only Clouseau. All of these movies are delightful and most are very strong, so it will be difficult to rank them, but there are still some clear favorites for me. This is my ranking.

5. Revenge of the Pink Panther

The main reason why I rank this last entry starring Sellers last lies in that very rushed, even abrupt third act filled with too many action scenes. Still, even the weakest movie in this five-movie franchise is still quite good with the highlights here being the wonderful Dyan Cannon, an interesting premise and an amusing emphasis on disguises. I didn’t like the role of Cato here, but everybody else shined with some situational humor being hilarious.

4. The Pink Panther

Because there was a very long pause between the second and the third film, we got to see two very different approaches to this franchise. The first movie from the sixties definitely takes its time getting used to and it’s not representative of the franchise at all due to its overly slow, uneventful first half, but the second half is wonderful in its situational comedy trappings with the costume party and the hotel room scenes being the highlights. The Bond elements are also charming here.

3. A Shot in the Dark

This sequel was much brisker than its predecessor and also immensely artistic in the killing spree sequences with the beginning being particularly dazzling stylistically speaking. The movie is far from hilarious and far from best in the role of the protagonist, which will only get better later down the line, but the nude camp scene is very funny and the movie is very well edited, paced and easy to enjoy throughout its shorter runtime.

2. The Return of the Pink Panther

This is the entry that changed everything for the better in my opinion. Yes, it’s less suspenseful and goofier, but I preferred larger comedy bits and pieces here than the subdued ones in its predecessors. Dreyfus is now an indispensable part of the franchise as is Cato while the movie’s treatment of Clouseau has become much sillier, but infinitely funnier. The Swiss Alps sequence is truly brilliant throughout as it is delightfully strange and unlike anything I’ve seen before in a comedy movie.

1. The Pink Panther Strikes Again

Yes, I do realize that this might be a very unorthodox placement for the number one, but stick with me here. The movie is incredibly ridiculous and cartoony, but that is also its major charm as it’s basically a full-on live-action cartoon comedy unlike any other. The comic-booky elements in the Dreyfus’ storyline were so delightfully over-the-top with that entire castle part being the standout as it was brilliantly constructed in every single minute. This is the point in the franchise where the two became genuine archenemies and it was hugely entertaining following their dynamic.