Tony Beckley

The sixth Pink Panther comedy was the last to star Peter Sellers (the following film in the series incorporated previously unseen footage), and it was also the last in the series to show any signs of genuine inspiration. It's a weak entry in the Panther pantheon, involving a rather mundane plot about a "French Connection" drug deal that leads Inspector Clouseau--presumed murdered and now sleuthing incognito--to Hong Kong for a brash, slapstick finale that almost compensates for the routine gags that precede it.

Forget about the straight and narrow. Clever con Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) intends to go straigh ito the bank. Fresh from the slammer, he begins work on a heist that will either set him up for life-or send him up forever. Croker and his unruly lot of thieves take on the mob, the police and the gridlock traffic of Turin to rob a heavily armed shipment of gold bullion in The Italian Job. Entertainment legend Noel Coward (in his last film role) costars in this open-throttle caper as criminal mastermind Bridger.