Netflix is once again here to sweep you off your feet with its recent original series – Lupin. The series is based on the book by Maurice Leblanc who created Arsene Lupin: Detective and Gentleman Thief as a French counterpart to Sherlock Holmes in 1965. Before the Netflix adaptation, the story was animated by Kazuhiko Kato, the Japanese Manga artist who recreated Lupin in anime under the pen name Monkey Punch. There’s also a television adaptation that ran in Japan.
This very adaptation does not exactly follow the original plot. It is about Assane Diop (Omar Sy) who was gifted the original book by his late father Babakar (Fargass Assandé) just before his untimely death by suicide. Assane treats the book as his Bible and bases his life’s motive and actions on it.
Babakar served as a chauffeur to a wealthy family named Pellegrinis who possessed a necklace that was once a gift from King Louis XVI to Marie Antoinette. This very necklace was stolen and Babakar was jailed for it. As a result, he being an honest man took his own life in shame. Later on the Pellegrini family gets back the necklace.
Assane then pledged to find the truth behind true thief and followed Lupin’s way to avenge his father’s death.
In order to do so, he truly steals the necklace when the daughter of Pellegrini family puts it on auction. Of course he has aide but then he was following Lupin, he couldn’t take chances. He very shrewdly managed to cheat them and the necklace for himself.
What makes the series different from other series and films based on heists is the fact that the protagonist is not just after money but has a deeper motive behind his actions.
One is taken aback by the setting of the first episode – The Louvre. This structure has time and again lured story writers with its rich backdrop and you might start wishing to visit it yourself!
Omar Sy plays Assan too well and plays a badass and a gentleman thief convincingly. Like any theft we get to see the police chases that is as much exciting as the burglary. Of course one of the cops joined the dots and found out that the thefts are based on Lupin.
Although these stories were written in the sixties, they have been reformed it pretty well making it seemingly relevant even today.
As you keep watching, it is the unexpected twists that keep you glued.
This is a great start for the year. Kudos to Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga0iTWXCGa0
