Arsene Lupin was a fictional gentleman burglar in a series of 17 novels and 39 novellas by March Leblanc, first written in 1905, which helped contribute to the genre that included Boston Blackie and Jimmie Dale (alias The Grey Seal). The fictional character also appeared in numerous motion pictures (beginning in 1908), television dramas (beginning in 1971), comic books, stage plays and (believe it or not) video games. Courtesy of the good folks at Netflix, the French mini-series consisting of ten hour-long episodes was English dubbed and recently released on their streaming platform. Starring Omar Sy in the role of Assane Diop, he plays a gentleman burglar who is inspired by the literary adventures of master thief Arsene Lupin. His attempt to undermine the family that framed his innocent father for an unjust jewel theft creates the motive for his determination... and fun for the audience.
Fans of mystery dramas are probably familiar with the two MGM classics that air on Turner Classic Movies from time to time: Arsene Lupin (1932, starring John Barrymore) and Arsene Lupin Returns (1938, starring Mevlyn Douglas). Rarely seen is the 1944 version from Universal Studios with Charles Korvin in the lead. The character appeared in a total of 23 movies, and numerous television renditions, proving his popularity still remains even to this day.
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| John Barrymore as Arsene Lupin from the 1932 movie. |
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| Arsene Lupin Returns (1938, MGM) |
The first episode of the new Netflix series sets the stage for what is to be expected: a brilliant cat and mouse game that leads detectives on mis-direction and the villains questioning who is behind the crime. The executives at Netflix chose to break up the ten-episode series into two seasons, the first five available now, closing with a cliffhanger. The final five episodes will be made available later this year.
Episodes three and four threw me off, however, as it appeared the protagonist was so determined to take down the powerful Pelligrini family that he was making too many mistakes. For a man clever enough to pull off the heist depicted in the first episode, a mastery of thievery, subterfuge and disguise, that I questioned whether the brilliance of the series was diminishing with each entry in the series. But the fifth episode ended on a high note and makes me wanting more.
It was reported that Lupin was one of the most-viewed series on Netflix, having recently beaten out the above-average Queen's Gambit, which proves the network does not need a $100 million action-packed budget to succeed. Lupin is shot with class, providing us with unlimited beauty of Paris; the episodes are not gritty or dark -- even in the second episode that was shot in prison. All of which brings me to recommend the series for anyone who wants to see an updated rendition of the character we grew up with from the 1930s.
