Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 10, 2026

Blake Edwards' "Revenge of the Pink Panther" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by critic William Patrick Maynard and vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You are not going to use this gun, are you?

Peter Sellers passed away only two years after his final collaboration with Blake Edwards on Revenge of the Pink Panther. While Sellers does not appear unwell in an obvious way in this film, multiple close-ups reveal a striking transformation from just a decade earlier. Also, during longer sequences where Sellers demands all the attention, it is impossible to miss that now his brilliant improvisational work requires significantly greater effort.

When his authority is challenged by emboldened partners and ambitious competitors, veteran French drug lord Philippe Douvier (Robert Webber) decides to provide the ultimate evidence that he is still the king of the underworld. In a posh office, before his associates, Douvier puts a target on the back of the most famous cop in France, Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Sellers). Just hours later, Douvier’s executioners track down Clouseau in an antiques shop and, while he mumbles incoherently, hand him a bomb that is supposed to reconnect him with his creator.

But Clouseau miraculously survives the massive explosion and destruction the bomb causes. After the surprising news reaches Douvier, his fate is then placed in the hands of Mr. Chong (Ed Parker), a brilliant martial arts expert and the greatest assassin Hong Kong has produced. However, in a clash with a supposedly predetermined outcome, Clouseau accidentally neutralizes Mr. Chong, too. During a pitch-black night, Clouseau is finally outsmarted by Claude Russo (Sue Lloyd), a transvestite criminal not on Douvier’s payroll, who drives away with his car. When Russo is shot dead and incinerated in Clouseau's stolen car, and the authorities declare that the most famous cop in France has departed for Heaven, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) reappears to replace him, unaware that his greatest nemesis is alive and on a mission to identify the shadow figure who wants him taken out.

Revenge of the Pink Panther has enough kitsch and silly action for two Austin Powers films. It just lacks the relentless sexualized innuendo and groovy soundtrack to complement them, which is not an unfortunate development because there are greater opportunities for Sellers to impress with his improvised antics. (For what it’s worth, the Powers films borrow quite a few character ideas from Revenge of the Pink Panther and Clouseau’s universe, like the inflatable baddie and the transvestite criminal, and some are even placed in extremely similar contexts). Indeed, in the bulk of the kitsch and silly action, Sellers produces his most diverse character transformations. In addition to being the most famous cop in France, Sellers is an Italian gangster, a Swedish pirate, a Chinese holy man, a French vicar, and even an amateur impersonator of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

It must also be underscored that Revenge of the Pink Panther is the most chaotic of all films featuring Clouseau, which is not an unfortunate development, either. Indeed, while it makes the original film where Clouseau faced The Phantom look almost unrelated, the chaos, which is not perpetually dominated by the former, produces a very fine mix of laughs and fireworks that feel right for Sellers’ real-life transformation. Forcing Sellers at this point in his career to perform as he did in the original film would have been a guaranteed disaster.

The cast also includes Dyan Cannon, Burt Kwouk, Robert Loggia, Paul Stewart, Douglas Wilmer, Graham Stark, Tony Beckley, Alfie Bass, and Valerie Leon.

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Revenge of the Pink Panther arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduced an exclusive new 4K restoration of Revenge of the Pink Panther, sourced from the original camera negative. The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release.

The new 4K restoration is outstanding. I have only one minor criticism. Occasionally, I could see a few nicks and blemishes popping up here and there. Had someone removed them with digital tools, which would not have been a massive project, the 4K restoration would have been perfect. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from excellent to terrific. The density levels of the visuals are as good as they could have been, too. I compared various sections of the film in 1080p and native 4K, and I was equally pleased with the quality of the visuals in both presentations. Color reproduction and balance are outstanding. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set, and all look equally lush and healthy. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a very attractive and accurate period appearance. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are all very pleasing. However, while there is quite a bit of action material, I do not think that the 5.1 track is likely to impress audiophiles. In some areas, the spikes and drops in dynamic activity are quite uneven. Also, there isn't any truly memorable surrounding movement. This said, I do think that, for what it is, the 5.1 track does the most with the strengths and weaknesses of the original soundtrack. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critic William Patrick Maynard. The majority of the comments address the construction of various sequences and Peter Sellers' interactions with other characters, the action choreography and Blake Edwards' direction, and the major similarities and differences between the original/previous films and Revenge of the Pink Panther.

• Promotional Materials - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Theatrical Trailers
  2. TV Spots
  3. Radio Spots

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Revenge of the Pink Panther.

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I seldom see Mike Myers' Austin Powers linked to Peter Sellers' Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Typically, Powers is explained as a satirical offspring of the James Bond universe. Clouseau and his universe have a lot more in common with Powers, and the kitsch and chaos that flourish in Revenge of the Pink Panther, despite lacking a relentless sexualized innuendo, definitely feel like the catalysts for just about everything that makes the latter's adventures enjoyable. A lot of people have argued that Revenge of the Pink Panther is a pretty weak film, but I disagree. Given Sellers' real-life transformation, I think that it is as good as it could have been. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release brings an excellent, exclusive new 4K restoration of it, which will also be made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.