There
is
a
thief
on
the
loose
and
it's
up
to
the
bumbling,
yet
genius
detective
Jacques
Clouseau
[Steve
Martin]
and
a
team
of
experts
like
him,
to
find
and
put
away
the
criminal.
As
the
movie
opens,
it's
the
Pope
who
is
in
distress
he
has
been
relieved
of
his
ruby
ring
by
the
same
felon
who
stole
the
Magna
Carta,
the
Japanese
imperial
sword
and
the
Shroud
of
Turin.
Hence
the
team
of
detectives
called
in
to
retrieve
the
stolen
goods
comprise
a
Britisher
(Alfred
Molina),
a
Japanese
(Yuki
Matsuzaki),
an
Italian
(Andy
Garcia),
of
course
Jacques.
This
rather
queer
group,
with
help
from
the
ravishing
Sonia
(Aishwarya
Bachchan)
an
expert
in
criminal
behavior,
jet
start
the
humour
with
stunts
that
ideally
only
cartoon
characters
can
escape
from,
alive!!
We
all
know
right
away
that
they
are
going
find
the
culprit,
in
spite
of
their
soon-evident
clumsiness,
just
as
we
know
the
journey
promises
to
be
a
rich
blend
of
action
and
comedy.
The
opening
sequence
sets
the
pace
for
the
rest
of
the
movie.
Here's
how
it
goes:
Jacques
and
his
team
are
questioning
the
Pope,
when
Jacques
begins
rummaging
through
the
Pope's
wardrobe.
On
a
whim,
he
wears
one
and
steps
onto
the
balcony
overlooking
St
Peter's
Square.
As
he
leans
over,
trying
to
imitate
the
Pope
as
he
blesses
the
people
below,
he
trips
and
falls
down.
But
thankfully,
he
manages
to
hang
on
to
a
flag
pole.
And
there
he
hangs
with
his
robes
flapping
and
his
assets
on
display,
till
help
arrives.
Likewise,
the
movie
is
filled
with
similar
adventurous
exploits
that
come
in
quick
succession
-
sometimes
you
get
the
feeling
the
director
had
a
number
of
fun
ideas
and
tried
to
cram
every
single
one
into
the
movie.
From
burning
down
the
same
restaurant
twice
to
parading
in
funny
costumes,
treading
on
his
partner's
feet
and
falling
through
a
chimney,
Jacques
does
it
all,
but
just
as
we
begin
to
see
the
humour
in
one
scene,
he's
already
moved
on
to
the
next
and
the
next
comic
moment
is
taking
shape.
Steve
Martin
and
his
team
have
done
a
commendable
job
and
manage
to
tickle
our
funny
bone
quite
often.
The
only
drawback
is
that
none
of
the
comic
pieces
develop
into
bellyaching
hilarity.
If
Herald
Zwart
intends
making
the
next
installment
of
the
series,
he
better
give
that
aspect
more
thought
and
more
reel
time.