One of the much-awaited French series LUPIN is now available on Netflix and the first season (Chapter 1) is a treat to watch. Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, this crime thriller follows the story of a gentleman thief Assane Diop who sets out to avenge his father’s death.
Starring the charismatic Omar Sy (The Intouchables), the series is directed by Emmy winner Louis Leterrier. The character of Assane Diop is designed around the fictional thief (or detective) created by French writer Maurice Leblanc in the early 1900s. But, here in the series LUPIN, the titular character is only getting inspiration from the one in the books.
LUPIN introduces us to teenager Assane Diop whose life takes a pathetic turn when his father committed suicide after being accused of a crime he did not commit. Now, 25 years later, Assane uses “Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar” as his inspiration to avenge his father by stealing a diamond necklace, but the heist is about to take an unexpected turn.
In fact, in flashbacks, we see the life of Assane as a teenager when his father Babakar works as the chauffeur of the wealthy Pellegrini family. But when the old and expensive Marie Antoinette necklace, which the family owns for many years, goes missing, Mr. Pellegrini accuses Babakar of stealing the necklace and puts him behind bars. Babakar, however, committed suicide after writing a confession letter.
Two and half decades later the necklace goes for auction that brings an opportunity for Assane to steal and avenge his father’s death. But that is not all. There is more to the story while it takes different paths by giving us no scope to think of its predictability. The character design is also well-rounded that is a mix of a thief, a conman, a loving and caring father, and an extremely funny man that carries the story forward and delivers an amazing experience.
Other than the lead characters, there is a good number of side acts that keep us engaged throughout. While we do not go deep into the growing up life of Assane or his contacts along the way which eventually helps him uncover more details on his father’s death, LUPIN is very much enjoyable.
Generally, in such detective stories, we see weapons, a lot of bloodsheds, or even over the top characters, but here the story moves smoothly by joining the dots amid that many twists and turns. Besides, Omar Sy’s performance makes it even more interesting as he captures the character at ease. There could not be a better casting than this.
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