HAVING tarnished the memory of one iconic comedy character in the form of Sgt Bilko, Steve Martin now proceeds to trample over the memory of another – namely, The Pink Panther.

Stepping into the shoes vacated by the late, great Peter Sellers was never going to be an easy task but it’s difficult to imagine a more inept and unfunny attempt to do so.

Martin is painfully bad as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau and his antics conspire to bring down just about everyone around him, from Kevin Kline’s awful Chief Inspector Dreyfus to Jean Reno’s permanently bewildered investigating colleague and Beyonce’s potential suspect (who happens to be a singer).

To make matters worse, the hideous screenplay by Len Blum and Martin himself fails to generate so much as a smirk, relying on crude jokes, obvious sight gags and countless mis-pronunciations to generate obvious humour.

And the uninspired direction from Shawn Levy feels particularly flat-footed.

The premise finds inept provincial policeman Clouseau being promoted to the rank of inspector to investigate the murder of a high-profile football manager (Jason Statham) and the subsequent theft of a priceless diamond known as The Pink Panther.

Clouseau’s promotion, while unlikely given his limited ability, is designed to enable Chief Inspector Dreyfus the time to crack the case himself, so that he can be seen to swoop in and save the day from Clouseau, while laying claim to the coveted Medal of Honour.

But as ridiculous as Clouseau’s attempts to solve the case become, justice prevails and Dreyfus finds his attempts to discredit the inspector continually thwarted.

Along the way, Clouseau gets to flirt with Emily Mortimer’s sweet-natured secretary, as well as hooking up with Clive Owen’s 006 to thwart a major robbery.

But nothing or no one can save the film from the tedious waste of time that it quickly becomes.

Comparisons with Blake Edwards’ originals, while obvious, seem hardly worth making given that they fall at the opposite ends of the comedy spectrum – from inspired genre-definers to ‘how not to make a comedy movie’.

One can only despair at Martin’s pain-staking demise as a comic actor given his recent roll of shame which extends from the likes of Bilko and Bringing Down The House to the Cheaper By The Dozen movies.

Quite how the film managed to reach the top of the US box office and post healthy financial figures is truly baffling. Far from tickling anyone pink, this unnecessary remake is more likely to turn viewers red with rage.

Certificate: PG
Running time: 1hr 33mins