Inspired by the early 20th century stories of the fictional French gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, this 10 part, two season narrative is a delightful romp through modern day Paris as petty thief Assane Diop looks to avenge the framing and resulting death of his father for theft 25 years earlier.
Omar Sy is magnificent as the empathic and warm-hearted Diop who, through his own unreliability, has seen his family unravel. But he and wife Claire (Ludivine Sagnier) remain best of friends with Diop a strong presence in the life of son Raoul (Etan Simon). The two share a love for the stories of Maurice Leblanc and his fictional creation, Arsène Lupin. Intending to go straight, Diop is distracted by news of the forthcoming auction of the very necklace his father was accused of stealing – and by Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre), the wealthy industrialist and former employer of Babakar Diop (Fargass Assandé).
Like Lupin, Assane Diop is a master of disguises and, with support from best friend since schooldays, Benjamin (Antoine Gouy), inveigles his way into the Louvre and the auction. Disguised as a wealthy bidder, he steals the necklace. And so begins a 10 part narrative of Diop attempting to stay one step ahead of Pellegrini’s henchmen and corrupt police as well as be a reliable father to Raoul. Interspersed are recollections of young teenage memories and his links with the Pellegrini family and daughter Juliette. Diop’s singular objective is to prove his father was framed.
It’s a fun, slightly tongue-in-cheek, old-fashioned ride full of incident but with occasional challenging moments to ensure Lupin avoids asinine superficiality.
Rating: 77%
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