For those unfamiliar with the name "Lupin", it is the 1905 French author Maurice Leblanc's famous character Arsène Lupin. Featured in 56 novels and novellas from Leblanc, Lupin is what any, well most, Frenchmen know to be what a Gentlemen Cambrioleur (gentlemen thief) is about, a master of disguise and misdirection, a man who outwits the law and the non gentlemen crooks, if you will. But in the original novels, for the time, there was no room for mistakes which the Assane Diop main character of the 2021 series, makes; so it should go without saying that the series is merely based on the name and the reputation of Lupin, because Assane was inspired and immersed in the Lupin world, as we find out, watching the episodes. That is basically the premise for the role Omar Sy portrays in the series, and a good job the actor did, as I see it.
Just borrowing the name for a series will not please the purists. That's just too bad; you have to be realistic and understand there is no character named Lupin in the series, so no need to get all flustered, as some reviewers clearly were. I thought the idea of Diop, being inspired in many ways by reading Lupin novel(s) when he was young, was a stroke of genius. Of course we learn how this came about, through flashbacks. I enjoyed how the Assane flashbacks were timed, how they were cut to just the right length of time, and how they helped move along the series' story without hindering the process. I don't want to spoil it for you more than what I may have already, but I'll add that there is plenty of action, some twists, moments when you can (those who are familiar with Lupin, that is) grin from the clever execution of the crimes Assane commits, and of course the obligatory motivation of Assane Diop. Yes, as my review title spells it, you will root for the criminal, for much the same reasons we always do in such fictions; the criminal is the good guy and most everyone else is either corrupt or stupid, but not everyone else thank god.
I've had enough of super heroes and cartoon like characters and fantastic adventures; give me a gold old fashion thriller with high-tech tools we know exist and a mission you can believe in and you got my vote. Enjoy the ride.
Just borrowing the name for a series will not please the purists. That's just too bad; you have to be realistic and understand there is no character named Lupin in the series, so no need to get all flustered, as some reviewers clearly were. I thought the idea of Diop, being inspired in many ways by reading Lupin novel(s) when he was young, was a stroke of genius. Of course we learn how this came about, through flashbacks. I enjoyed how the Assane flashbacks were timed, how they were cut to just the right length of time, and how they helped move along the series' story without hindering the process. I don't want to spoil it for you more than what I may have already, but I'll add that there is plenty of action, some twists, moments when you can (those who are familiar with Lupin, that is) grin from the clever execution of the crimes Assane commits, and of course the obligatory motivation of Assane Diop. Yes, as my review title spells it, you will root for the criminal, for much the same reasons we always do in such fictions; the criminal is the good guy and most everyone else is either corrupt or stupid, but not everyone else thank god.
I've had enough of super heroes and cartoon like characters and fantastic adventures; give me a gold old fashion thriller with high-tech tools we know exist and a mission you can believe in and you got my vote. Enjoy the ride.