Lupin Part 1 Review: I'm A Sucker For A Good Heist Show

"Lupin" is currently available on NetFlix. The French series is broken into two halves with Part 1 encompassing five episodes "Lupin" tells the story of Assane Diop (played by Omar Sy). He is a "gentleman burglar" who is inspired by a book character (Arsene Lupin) created in 1905 by Maurice LeBlanc. There's also a anime/manga series based on the book (called "Lupin The Third"). It's been in production since 1967.

In this adaptation, we find Assane in Paris. He is using his knowledge of Lupin to pull off a big score. We eventually learn he is trying to clear his father Babakar (Fargass Assande) of wrongdoing. Diop uses a number of disguises and ruses to achieve his goals. Arsene is a Senagalese 6 foot 3 guy in a predominately white environment. It seems like it would be really hard for him to hide. Would any of these disguises actually work? I'm not sure but watching him try is great fun.

Detective Youssef Guedira is the only member of the police makes he connection between Assane and the Lupin novels. Will he be able to untangle Diop's motivation as he targets the Pellegrini family? Time will tell.

We also meet Assane's ex wife Claire (Ludivine Sagnier) and their teenage son Raoul (Etan Simon). They play prominently into the finale cliffhanger-- but I dont want to give it away. Just enjoy the ride as the plot unfolds.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). I'm a sucker for a good heist movie. Some of the best include "Mission Impossible", the "Oceans" trilogy, "Money Heist", etc. "Lupin" is right up there. Omar Sy does an excellent job of creating a character we want to root for (even if he does break a few laws).

On the surface, "Lupin" is a heist story but it's also about racism and classism. The wealthy (mostly white) residents of Paris go about their privileged lives without much thought to the scores of workers (many people of color) who keep everything running-- from chauffeurs to cleaning crews, etc.

Thanks the show's popularity (it's the first French film to be in NetFlix's top 10), Part 2 will be released this summer. Yeah. I can't wait to see where else the story leads. Just dont be turned off by the subtitles. "Lupin" is definitely worth the watch. I liked it so much, I watched it twice.