The plot deals with the theft of the Pink Panther diamond, along with several other valuable artifacts, by the Tornado, a Phantom Thief who has never been caught and whose true identity has been a mystery for years. Having become a national hero for finding the Pink Panther the last time it was stolen, Inspector Jacques Clouseau is recruited to join an international Dream Team of expert investigators to find the stolen items and arrest the Tornado. However, Clouseau's... unique approach to crime solving rubs his allies the wrong way, to put it mildly.
The film was released to theatres on February 6, 2009 and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 23, 2009.
The film contains the following examples:
- Asian Drivers: When Clouseau makes an inappropriate remark to his Japanese colleague, he is asked by his manners teacher about whether or not he's prejudiced towards Asians. He says he isn't, except when it comes to them driving.
- Avengers Assemble: The film has Clouseau and Ponton joining an international "Dream Team" of detective to track down the Tornado.
- Big Bad: The Tornado is the criminal who stole the Pink Panther diamond which Clouseau is trying to reclaim. It turns out to be Sonia Solandres, the ex-lover of the original Tornado who killed him and took his identity.
- Brick Joke: Randall Pepperidge proclaims twice that if Clouseau solves the case, he would wear a pink tutu. At the very end, he appears at Clouseau and Nicole's wedding wearing an ill-fitting pink dress.
- Broad Strokes: There is no mention of Yves Gluant's murder or the fact that Xania is the rightful owner of the Pink Panther. The Pink Panther is now treated as a national treasure of France, instead of a priceless gem that once belonged to a man who gave it to his girlfriend. The only thing carried over from the previous movie relating to the diamond is that Clouseau found the diamond when it went missing the first time, but no other details about that case are given.
- The Cassandra: Clouseau three times over.
- Clouseau is reluctant to leave France because he fears the Tornado will steal the Pink Panther without him to protect it. However, Dreyfus dismisses his concerns. Sure enough, as Clouseau is about to board a plane out of France, the fake Pink Panther is reported stolen.
- The Dream Team questions Alonso Avellaneda, a man who was once a fence for the Tornado and was even believed to be the Tornado himself. Despite Avellaneda proving he is not the Tornado, Clouseau still thinks he is not entirely truthful. Indeed, Avellaneda was actually hiding the Tornado in his house.
- Dreyfus and the Dream Team don't believe Clouseau when he tells them that the Tornado, who has been found dead, is not the thief. They also don't believe him when he says Sonia is actually the thief until she pulls a gun on Nicole.
- Chekhov's Gun: A Rule of Three variant occurs: Clouseau's parking ticket assignment from Dreyfus which he uses to identify Sonia's car:Clouseau: Today I was staring at Miss Solandres's license plate. I recognized it because of my... unique system of cross-referencing. I became aware that I had given a parking ticket to the same car, two days before Miss Solandres claimed she arrived in Paris... one day before the Pink Panther was stolen.
- Clouseau has a replica of the Pink Panther diamond which was given to him as a gift for finding the original. This turns out to be the real Pink Panther and the one that was stolen and destroyed by Sonia is revealed to be a fake. Clouseau swapped the real diamond with the replica to protect it from the Tornado.
Clouseau: I knew the Tornado would eventually come after the Pink Panther, so I went to the museé with a simple plan in mind. I had convinced my old friend, Robert the night guard, to turn off the security system for the few moments necessary to save the most beautiful object in France. I then switched the Pink Panther with the replica I had at home. [He takes the real Pink Panther out of its case] This is the real Pink Panther. It was the fake that was stolen.- And the Medal of Honor which deflects a bullet fired by Sonia.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Some of the characters relevant to the first film weren't even mentioned.
- Dream Team: Clouseau and Ponton are part of an international team of detectives and experts tasked with finding the Tornado. They consist of:
- Italian detective Vincenzo Roccara Squarcialupi Brancaleoni.
- Randall Pepperidge, a British detective specializing in deduction.
- Kenji Mazuto, a Japanese technology expert.
- Sonia Solandres, the world's foremost expert on the Tornado and his secret ex-lover
- Dumbass Has a Point: Clouseau of all people is the one to point out that the Pink Panther is the only stolen item that can be fenced since it can cut into smaller gems; the rest are too valuable to be broken apart yet are too famous to be bought on the black market. As it turns out, Sonia was only interested in the Pink Panther and the other theft of the other items was meant to obscure this fact.
- "Eureka!" Moment:
- Clouseau has one while staring at the license plate of Sonia's car. By checking his records, Clouseau realizes he had given a ticket to the same car two days before the Pink Panther was stolen. This contradicts Sonia's alibi that she had been delayed to the crime scene by her flight — she had actually been in Paris much earlier and committed the theft.
- Clouseau has one when the Tornado's fake suicide note describes the beauty of the Pink Panther diamond which the thief supposedly destroyed. Clouseau realized the Tornado couldn't have been the thief because the Pink Panther diamond had been swapped with a replica Clouseau had at home to protect it — the real Tornado would have been able to tell it was a fake and whoever stole it was merely pretending to be the Tornado.
- Foreshadowing: There are three clues pointing to Sonia being the Tornado's ex-lover and the one behind the thefts.
- Sonia knows far more about the Tornado than anyone else on Earth and wrote a book about his exploits. Her knowledge of the Tornado's skills are how she was able to commit the thefts.
- After the Dream Team leaves Avellaneda's home, it's revealed that the Tornado had been hiding there all along. As they leave, the Tornado mentions that he knows a member of the Dream Team personally.
- At one point, Sonia and Clouseau talk about their respective relationship problems and Sonia says that the man she is in love with does not love her back.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Kenji says "sayonara" to Clouseau.
- Kansas City Shuffle: Clouseau uses this gambit as bait to catch the Tornado when the Pink Panther diamond is seemingly destroyed after Clouseau bluffs Sonia Solandes into shooting it into dust, Clouseau has the real Pink Panther brought out, having switched it with the replica he was given as a gift in anticipation of the Tornado.
- Literal-Minded: Dreyfus tells Clouseau to fly to Kyoto, but Clouseau took it literally.Clouseau: But I can't fly!Dreyfus: In a plane!
- Multinational Team: The Dream Team is composed of investigators from different country. Clouseau represents France, Vincenzo represents Italy, Pepperidge represents Britain, Kenji represents Japan and Sonia represents India.
- Never Suicide: The Tornado is found dead in his apartment, having supposedly committed suicide after destroying the Pink Panther. He was actually murdered by Sonia who framed him for the thefts.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: In contrast to Herbert Lom, a Czechoslovakian-born emigrant to Britain, John Cleese's accent as Dreyfus in The Pink Panther 2 is strongly British, which is exceptionally ironic, given the historical rivalries between Britain and France. Hilarity Ensues when Cleese's Dreyfus tries to say the Override Command "hamburger" with his British accent in The Pink Panther 2, only for Steve Martin's imitation French mispronunciation of "hamburger" to successfully call off the security forces.
- Orgy of Evidence: The Tornado is eventually found dead by suicide, surrounded by all the stolen items except the Pink Panther which his suicide note claims he destroyed. Everyone except Clouseau thinks they have gotten their man. It is revealed that all the thefts were actually committed by Sonia who framed the Tornado and killed him.
- Phantom Thief: The Tornado is a thief who has never been caught. The only clue to his identity is an unmatched blood sample which was obtained when he was shot while fleeing from authorities during a heist.
- Properly Paranoid: Clouseau is instructed to go to Japan, the site of the Tornado's most recent heist, to meet up with the Dream Team. However, Clouseau is reluctant to leave as he believes that without him in France to protect it, the Pink Panther will be taken by the Tornado. Indeed, no sooner does Clouseau step past the "You are now leaving France" sign at the airport, than a news report reveals that the Pink Panther has been stolen again.
- Overlaps with Crazy-Prepared in that he was so paranoid regarding this that HE stole the Pink Panther FIRST and replaced it with a fake, KNOWING that the Tornado would come for the diamond.
- Replaced with Replica: The film's climax reveals that the Pink Panther that was stolen and then destroyed by Sonia is actually a replica Clouseau had swapped out with the original in order to protect it from the Tornado. The reveal that the Tornado is an expert in the quality of gems is what makes Clouseau realize that he was not responsible for the theft as he would have been able to recognize the replica Pink Panther as a fake.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Clouseau doesn't believe Avellaneda when he claims that he is not the Tornado. Even after Avellaneda shows physical proof that he cannot possibly be the Tornado, Clouseau insists that he senses the Tornado's presence in the house. Avellaneda was actually hiding the real Tornado in his house.
- Sherlock Scan: Played for Laughs in the first meeting between Clouseau and Pepperidge:Pepperidge: Gentlemen, we first have to determine how the crime was committed. And as I am an expert at deduction...Clouseau: You are an expert at deduction?Pepperidge: That is my field.Clouseau: I believe deduction is my field, and since you are experiencing hip pain...Pepperidge: How did you know that?Clouseau: One side of the sole of your shoe is more worn than the other; you're favoring your right leg.Pepperidge: Tell me, did you enjoy your double espresso this morning?Clouseau: How did you...Pepperidge: Your pupils are noticeably dilated.Clouseau: And will you be moving out of the Hotel Montmartre? They are doing construction at night around the Montmartre so as not to disturb daytime traffic. From your puffy eyes, I deduce you spent a sleepless night.Pepperidge: Speaking of traffic, are you enjoying your Smart car? Your trousers are wrinkled behind the knees.Clouseau: And how do you think your favorite football team, Arsenal, will do this year? That matchbox is from the only bar in Paris that shows English football telecasts.Pepperidge: You have tissues in your shoes to make you look taller.Clouseau: You were finally 14 before you finally learned to enjoy avocado.Pepperidge: Tell me, how did you enjoy your trip to the airport this morning?Clouseau: Now, how did you know that? [the airport stamp on Clouseau's hand is visible to everyone]Ponton: Perhaps one of you should begin.Clouseau: Yes, this is silly.Pepperidge: You've recently lost your favorite cheese grater.Clouseau: You have an aversion to cow bells!
- Vincenzo brings an end to this when he discovers a piece of broken glass with fingerprints on it.
- Smokescreen Crime: The plot deals with the theft of valuable items by the Tornado, a Phantom Thief who has never been caught and whose identity has been unknown for years. The Dream Team find him dead from an apparent suicide with all the stolen items, except the Pink Panther which his note says he destroyed so no one else could have it. Everyone except Clouseau believes the case is closed. Clouseau turns out to be right: the real thief is actually Sonia Solandres, the Tornado's ex-lover, who framed him for the thefts so she could lure him out of hiding and kill him. As the Pink Panther was the only item that could be fenced by being cut into smaller gems, Sonia allowed the team to find the other items, while she kept the diamond for herself.
- Steal It to Protect It: With help from a night guard friend of his, Clouseau stole the real Pink Panther from the museum and swapped it with a fake in order to keep it safe from the Tornado. Clouseau also realizes that the real Tornado wasn't the thief when his supposed suicide note described the fake Pink Panther's "beauty"; since the Tornado was an expert on gems and their value, he would have known the diamond Clouseau left at the museum was a fake.
- Truer to the Text: Compared to the first film, this film is a little more faithful to the source material. For example, the Pink Panther isn't from a ring.
- Woman Scorned: This turns out to be Sonia's reason for framing the Tornado and killing him.
