A Shot in the Dark

Staff members of a Parisian chateau continue to be murdered, one after the other with all signs pointing to a beautiful Italian maid as the culprit. However, Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) suspects a conspiracy, much to the annoyance of his superior (Herbert Lom), and follows his senses down a bumbling and calamitous path. "A Shot in the Dark", the followup to "The Pink Panther", placed Sellers front and center and is routinely heralded as the foremost picture in the series. While I find it as slight and silly as the other entries, there are many hilarious gags (including Lom's psychotic episodes and a recurring one involving Seller's Judo tutee), and of course Sellers' committed and always spot-on performance.