Enlarge / Omar Sy returns as Assane Diop, who seeks to avenge his father’s death by drawing inspiration from fictional gentleman thief Arsene Lupin. (credit: Netflix)
French actor Omar Sy returns in another knockout turn as self-styled “gentleman thief” Assane Diop in Part 2 of Netflix’s surprise French hit series Lupin. In my review earlier this year, I called Part 1 a “delightful contemporary reimagining of a classic character in French detective fiction, Arsène Lupin—a gentleman thief and master of disguise who was essentially the French equivalent of Sherlock Holmes.” I was delighted to discover that Part 2 is even better, with twists, turns, and surprise reveals galore—all without sacrificing those crucial character-enriching quiet moments to add a bit of depth. It’s the best series of 2021 thus far.
(Spoilers for Part 1 below.)
Lupin’s original creator, Maurice LeBlanc, featured his gentleman thief in 17 novels and 39 novellas, so there is plenty of source material to work with. The Netflix series is the creation of Louis Leterrier, who directed the 2013 heist thriller Now You See Me, in which a band of magicians pulls off ingenious robberies. So it’s easy to see why he was drawn to this project. Per the official premise, “As a teenager, Assane Diop’s life was turned upside down when his father died after being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. 25 years later, Assane will use Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar as his inspiration to avenge his father.”
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