Thriller. Heists. Mystery. The three genres of cinema that never fail to grab our attention. It’s quite common that we end up watching movies or series of these categories even if they are in languages unfamiliar to us. Such is the fondness.
The perfect blend of these three genres is ‘Lupin’ – A new French series streaming on the OTT giant Netflix. Complete with an ensemble cast of Omar Sy of Jurassic World fame, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier, Hervé Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Antoine Gouy and Johann Dionnet.
The pilot introduces Assane Diop (Omar Sy) as a janitor, working at The Louvre in Paris who is planning on stealing The Queen’s necklace, belonging to Queen Marie Antoinette. Assane and his father, Babakar Diop are Senegalese immigrants. Assane’s father works as a Chauffeur for a wealthy Parisian family, The Pellegrini’s. Babakar is falsely accused of stealing a necklace by his employer Mr. Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre) and is put behind bars.
Assane grows up to become a fine gentleman-thief with the sole purpose of avenging the reason behind his father’s ill-fate. A gentleman-thief? Confused much?
He draws inspiration for his heists from the famous French fiction written by Maurice Leblanc, ‘Arsène Lupin’, given to him by his father, where the titular character is a gentleman-thief. He trains himself to become a master of disguise and uses it to his convenience to pull off heists.
Eventually, he marries the love of his life, his childhood sweetheart, Claire (Ludivine Sagnier), and plans on settling down. But his quest for seeking revenge on the people responsible for his father’s fate keeps pulling him away from all of it. The series ends with Raoul (Assane’s son) going missing, leaving space for a possible second season of the acclaimed series.
To sum it, Lupin is a story that might seem a little predictable at points but is still gripping with its minor twists in the plotline. Taking inspiration from the fictional character of Lupin for Assane and still maintaining the difference between the fictional and the real character could be a possible pioneer in adapting epic characters from books. The gentle changes in the characterization of Assane throughout, with alterations in his flashbacks and present, ground it more towards actuality. The soundtrack of the series is apt, groovy and a little retro, in terms of the further unfolding of the plot. Cinematography gets bonus points, for beautiful shots of locales in and around Paris – A visual treat indeed!
The relationship between a father and a son with a twist might seem mundane but, Lupin most certainly is anything but mundane. If in search for a binge-worthy series of heists, revenge and thrills in style, for the upcoming weekend, look no more!
Even if it seems a little predictable initially, believe that there’s more to it than what meets the eye…Because the answers to some of the following, give a 180-degree twist to the storyline.
Was the heist successful? Decoding hidden messages? Is the necklace in The Louvre even original? Who was behind ruining his father’s life? Watch to find out!
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