Seemingly out of nowhere, crime caper series Lupin proved a sensation for Netflix when parts one and two landed in 2021: it was the first French show to make the streamer’s global top 10. And after a two-year absence, it’s good to have Assane Diop – the elusive thief, conman and righter of wrongs played by the great Omar Sy – back again.
If Marcel Leblanc’s original stories of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, written at the turn of the 20th century, were in some ways a riposte to Arthur Conan-Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, then a line too can be drawn between the modern-day adaptations of those stories: Sherlock and Lupin.
Both cleverly use the source material to play to the fans, put on a slick contemporary twist that means viewers do not have to be familiar with the originals and both have charismatic leads putting in star-making turns.
Though one distinction is the French show does not offer an update of the Lupin character (despite the title of the show) but focuses on Diop, who is obsessed and inspired by Leblanc’s stories – applying them to modern day Paris and using them as the basis of his daring robberies.
Lupin’s third series, or third part, opens with Diop in hiding but determined to convince his estranged wife Claire (Ludivine Sagnier) and son Raoul (Etan Simon) to leave France and start a new life somewhere else.
But Lupin being Lupin, first he will need to navigate all number of schemes, impossible robberies, double crosses and tricky escapes – including from death itself – starting with the theft of the invaluable Black Pearl, which he now hopes will fund his family’s escape.
Lupin was created by British showrunner George Kay – who’s can turn his hand to all manner of crime drama as shown by recent acclaimed shows such as Apple TV+’s Hijack and The Long Shadow on ITV – in collaboration wiht Francois Uzan. The first episode is directed by Louis Leterrier, who recently oversaw the 10th instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise, and his accomplished handling of major action scenes is in evidence here.
The show’s first elaborate set piece, where Diop has announced the time and date he will steal the Black Pearl from a jeweller, despite it being defended by police, bars and elaborate alarm systems. This is slick, enjoyable, often bonkers action and impossible not to enjoy.
The show revels in the fact this is all a bit ridiculous. Impossible robberies, highly improbably stunts. And Diop, physically imposing and exuding charm by the bucketload, tends to stand out in most crowds but yet manages to evade all capture, except when he wants to be caught. Two steps ahead of his pursuers? Try grand boulevards ahead.
Talking of boulevards, Paris looks ridiculously handsome here, and many iconic locations are ticked off, including the Arc de Triomphe, Galeries Lafayette, Pere Lachaise and Place Vendome (though it doesn’t push it’s luck as far as a struggle on top of the Eiffel Tower).
There are issues with the show jumping backwards in time to fill in Sy’s backstory, as the scenes in the past tend to drag. But also the novelty and excitment from when it first emerged has worn off – it may still have va va voom but has lost a little of its oh la la – and has begun to feel more like a procedural show: like White Collar with a French accent.
While the writing and direction are fine tuned, the script somewhat mechanically needs to throw challenges into Diop’s way, and it suffers from the law of diminshing returns. Especially as he just seems in control at all stages... there isn’t a huge amount of peril, no matter how daunting the challenge.
Still, as far as slick action comedy drama goes, it is eminently watchable, and in Sy it has a trump card that elevates it above many competing shows.
