developed for television by
George Kay
Francoi Uzan
Before the popular Netflix series Lupin dropped earlier this year I had no real idea who the character was and had only ever associated him with a popular Japanese anime series, Lupin III, which featured a gangly gentleman burglar sporting sideburns and his high-tech crew. It was popular enough here to warrant a live-action, localized adaptation and big enough in its native Japan to earn a computer-generated film update.
I was genuinely surprised to learn, then, that Lupin was actually a popular French pulp hero whose origings date back to the early 20th century, when he was created by Maurice LeBlanc, a sort of "anti-Sherlock Holmes," and that the anime was derived from that work.
The live-action Netflix series starring charismatic French actor Omar Sy isn't quite a reimagining of the story of Arsene Lupin, but rather the story of Assane Diop (Sy), a man so inspired by his pulp adventures as a gentleman burglar that he has emulated his lifestyle as a thief and a bit of a grifter. There's more to Diop's motivations, however, than just boosting rich people's valuables; he's a man on a mission, and that is to uncover the truth behind the unjust imprisonment of his father, Babakar Diop (Fargasse Assande) who was framed for the theft of a valuable necklace by his employer Hubert Pelligrini (Herve Pierre) who faked the theft to claim the insurance money. Using his consummate skill and planning, the younger Diop actually steals the necklace, which belonged to the infamous French Queen Marie Antoinette and sets in motion a whole chain of events which, he hopes, will bring justice to his father after two and a half decades. It won't be easy, though, as Pelligrini has considerable resources at his disposal, including a police captain (Vincent Garanger) in his pocket, as well as a couple of armed goons, including the lethal Leonard (Adama Niane) and Pascal (Nicolas Wanczycki) to do his dirty work. And naturally, having actually stolen a necklace, whatever his ulterior motives may be, Diop has also got cops hot on his trail, especially fellow Lupin devotee Guedira (Soufiane Guerrab). Things get really serious when Pelligrini has Leonard kidnap Lupin's son Raoul (Etan Simon) much to Lupin's consternation and that of his ex-girlfriend Claire (Ludivigne Sagnier).
It won't be easy to take down Pelligrini, but with the help of his trusty sidekick Benjamin (Anthony Guoy), and Pelligrini's own daughter Juliette (Clotilde Hesme), Diop may yet prevail.
I'm not reviewing "Part I" of the series but rather the last five episodes, or Part II, which came out a little under a month ago on Netflix. "Part I" featured episodes directed by Now You See Me helmer Louis Letterier and as a result had the distinct heist movie vibe, like a French Ocean's Eleven. I enjoyed most of the first five episodes quite a bit, especially as the storytellers revealed Diop's backstory bit by tantalizing bit. Unfortunately, near the end, the series suffered from a serious case of plot-driven storytelling, in which the consummately crafty Diop basically forgot he had a brain and did something really careless to help move the story forward.
I mention this because I'm quite relieved to report that there's no such storytelling faux pas here in Part II. The storytelling is straightfoward and doesn't rely on any cheap, character-destroying tropes, and the cast execute their roles perfectly, especially Sy, who truly carries the series from the first episode down to the last, helped along qutie well by Mamaidou Hadara, who plays the fifteen-year-old version of him. Leterrier doesn't come back to direct any more episodes, but the remaining five still have that fantastic heist movie verve. I was able to predict one of the twists (and I don't dare reveal which one it was) but I still thoroughly enjoyed the series. Sure, if one really tried one could probably pick apart the logic of how the story played out, but as is the trademark of Lupin, the name of the game here is sleight of hand, and the way that the writers and directors keep the story moving along is just so clever that I really couldn't be bothered to think of any way that the plot make sense.
Given Netflix's proclivity for giving its series the axe, I'm really happy that Lupin is easily one of their most-watched series and sincerely hope it gets more seasons in the future.
9/10
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