Critic Reviews

Shot in the Dark, A (1964) Rank 5 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Shot in the Dark, A (1964) a score of 3.1887 out of 4

based on (23) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(7)

Very Good

(16)

Good

(0)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Reel.com DVD review (Ken Dubois)

A Shot in the Dark captures Peter Sellers at the height of his comic groove, with a movie built entirely around him and lots of room to work. After more than a decade as a radio, television, and film star in England, Sellers finally went Hollywood in ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Reel.com DVD review (Ken Dubois)

eFilmCritic.com (Jay Seaver)

In my review of The Pink Panther, I mention that the first film in the series is somewhat atypical; it is in A Shot In The Dark that Clouseau truly emerges as a lucky dimwit who thinks himself brilliant, surrounded by classic supporting characters. In a ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Jay Seaver)

Don Ignacio's Movie Reviews (Michael Lawrence)

Wonderful follow-up to the excellent comedy, The Pink Panther, returns the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau to the case. This time, he inspects the most baffling of murders as he tries to protect the woman of whom all the evidence suggests. Considered ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Don Ignacio's Movie Reviews (Michael Lawrence)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

The second film in the Pink Panther series doesn't mention its heritage in the title (and in fact there's no relation to the titular jewel at all in the movie), but A Shot in the Dark is widely -- and wisely -- thought to be the best film in the series of ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

filmcritic.com

The second film in the Pink Panther series doesn't mention its heritage in the title (and in fact there's no relation to the titular jewel at all in the movie), but A Shot in the Dark is widely -- and wisely -- thought to be the best film in the series ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at filmcritic.com

Movie Reviews UK

A highly amusing farce, A Shot in the Dark sees Inspector Clouseau apply his unique talents to a puzzling murder enquiry. In the chateau of respected millionaire Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders), the body of his Spanish chauffeur Miguel has been ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Movie Reviews UK

sbs.is (Stefan Birgir Stefansson)

The best of the bunch ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at sbs.is (Stefan Birgir Stefansson)

The Onion A.V. Club (Scott Tobias)

As many Star Wars fans will attest, the law of diminishing returns can have a devastating effect on movie franchises, because the original magic tends to dissipate with each successive trip to the well. Watching The Pink Panther Film Collection, a ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at The Onion A.V. Club (Scott Tobias)

filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy "The Pink Panther" may have starred David Niven and Robert Wagner, but it was a supporting character that drew the most laughs. Inspector Clouseau was a stupid, accident-prone, conceited and incompetent police inspector, and ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

Time Out (--)

First of the Pink Panther sequels, establishing Sellers' incompetent Inspector Clouseau as a viable series character, and prompting Blake Edwards into an unchallenging downhill coast for far too long. Sellers, smitten by Elke Sommer's pretty parlourmaid ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Time Out (--)

At-A-Glance Film Reviews

Bumbling Inspector Clouseau returns, this time solving a murder case by accident. More like later entries than the original The Pink Panther, this film marks the first appearances by regulars Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfuss and Burt Kwuok as Cato. ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews

DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

...generally considered one of the best, if not the best, in the series. ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

Cleveland Press (Tony Mastroianni)

"A Shot in the Dark" is a trivial mystery-comedy that should be good for a steady three weeks of laughter at Lakewood Little Theater. ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Cleveland Press (Tony Mastroianni)

New York Times (Bosley Crowther)

CLOSE on the heels of "The Pink Panther," which introduced Peter Sellers in the role of a bumbling Parisian detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, there comes another go-round with this explosively comical sleuth that makes his previous exposure seem ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at New York Times (Bosley Crowther)

Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)

One night at the Ballon mansion, a manor house in the French countryside outside Paris, various nocturnal wanderings by the staff and owners are brought to an abrupt end by the shooting of the chauffeur Miguel. The police are called and Chief Inspector ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)

Film Freak Central (Bill Chambers)

A few of the set-pieces are tours de force on the part of Sellers ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Film Freak Central (Bill Chambers)

Movie Vault (Vadim Rizov)

The first Inspector Clouseau movie (The Pink Panther) had a great deal of footage involving David Niven and Claudia Cardinale, and not enough with Peter Sellers. And it felt, the marvelous Sellers notwithstanding, like a normal, mid-60s comedy. The ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Movie Vault (Vadim Rizov)

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

A millionare's driver is shot dead in the room of his maid, and all the facts point to her guilt. Yet this doesn't hinder the illustrious Inspector Clouseau to think she's hiding something. Helping her case is the fact that Clouseau has taken a liking to ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Edinburgh U Film Society (Martin Hunt)

A Shot in the Dark has Peter Sellers return once again for another appearance as Inspector Clouseau, France's greatest detective. As usual the plot is inconsequential, the only reason for watching this film is to watch Sellers make a complete idiot of ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Martin Hunt)

Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)

This second Pink Panther effort finds the fumbling Clouseau investigating a series of murders â��- one of which takes place in a nudist colony. ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)

The Nick Schager Film Project

"Give me ten men like Clouseau and I could destroy the world!" rages police commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) about his blundering French inspector in the second Pink Panther film A Shot in the Dark. ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at The Nick Schager Film Project

DVD Verdict (Jim Stewart)

MGM thought that putting Inspector Jacques Clouseau on the case in A Shot in the Dark was a mistake as well. That's why the studio waited to see how The Pink Panther did before releasing this sequel, according to IMDb. Because you already know that ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at DVD Verdict (Jim Stewart)

Brilliant Observations on 1173 Films (Clayton Trapp)

Inspector Clousseau, the greatest of them all, is back and can't find his office. Of course, why tie up valuable cranial real estate on such trivialities? The music is wonderful, especially the brass section of the nudist colony ensemble. The main ...read the complete Shot in the Dark movie review at Brilliant Observations on 1173 Films (Clayton Trapp)