The Reel Review
Omar Sy (The Intouchables, X-Men: Days of Future Past) stars in this French crime series about a conman inspired by the Maurice Leblanc novels of the early 1900s about gentleman thief Arséne Lupin. In this thriller, our conman with a heart of gold is always a step ahead of those trying to stop or capture him, as he avenges the character assassination and death of his father at the hands of one of Paris’ wealthiest families.
Lupin is such a fun crime thriller – each of Season One’s first five episodes is its own jigsaw puzzle that at first glance, looks impossible for our hero to solve. But by using time jumps and flashbacks, the intricate pieces gradually fall into place, leading to the big “a-ha” reveal at the end of each episode. Some of the wildly implausible story lines require a serious suspension of disbelief, but it is a totally fun binge watch, just to see how creators George Kay and François Uzan get their main character out of such seemingly impossible situations.
Sy Omar does a fantastic job in a performance highly reminiscent of Idris Elba in the British crime series Luther. The supporting cast is also solid and Paris as a backdrop, as always, is spectacular. But do yourself a favor – turn on the original French language version and add the subtitles, to capture the acting nuances which are lost in dubbing. You’ll be glad you did.
REEL FACTS
• Netflix expects Lupin to be its most popular non-English language program ever. It is predicting more than 70 million views during its first four weeks of release, more than The Queen’s Gambit and Bridgerton.
• Netflix is expected to release the second half of Season One later in 2021, likely in the late Spring/Summer.
• Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston starred in The Upside, the 2019 American remake of The Intouchables, that earned Omar Sy a 2012 Best Actor César, France’s equivalent of the Oscar.
Video & Photo
