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Lupin - Chapter 2
episode 1.2
France 2021
produced by Isabelle Degeorges, Nathan Franck for Gaumont/Netflix
directed by Louis Leterrier
starring Omar Sy, Vincent Londez, Ludivine Sagnier, François Creton, Athaya Monkozi, Linda Massoz, Fargass Assandé, Mamadou Haidara, Clotilde Hesme, Nicole Garcia, Hervé Pierre, Shirine Boutella, Johann Dionnet, Antoine Gouy, Adrian Valli De Villebonne, Soufiane Guerrab, Etan Simon, Saïd Benchnafa, Karim Lasmi, Lazare Mohamed, Mehdi Fettah, Denis Mathieu, Étienne Ménard, Eric Paul, Moussa Sylla
written and created by George Kay, François Uzan, based on the character Arsène Lupin, created by Maurice Leblanc, music by Mathieu Lamboley
TV-series Lupin, Arsène Lupin
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Assane (Omar Sy) learns from his friend and fence, antiques dealer
Ferel (Antoine Gouy), that the necklace he has stolen the previous
episode, has never been taken apart, as previously noted, which in
turn would prove his father's (Fargass Assandé) innocence. In a rather
exciting stunt, he meets up with Juliette (Clotilde Hesme), daughter of
the maybe-rightful owners of the necklace, and she somehow admits that not
everythingabout his father's arrest 25 years ago was all that kosher, but
at the same time has set up a police trap for him, which Assane escapes
with ease. He realizes, to find proof for his father's innocence he has to
go to prison to talk to a friend of his father's, Comet (Francois Creton),
who apparently has a book his father left him. Now getting into prison's
easy, he during visiting hours just changes clothes with an inmate (Athaya
Monkozi), but getting to Comet proves to be more difficult as he's on his
death bed and it's not that easy to get into the infirmary - but of
course, with a bit of planning, and making the right enemies, that's no
problem either, nor is getting the book and faking his own death to get
out again. The book leads Assane to Juliette's mother Anne (Nicole
Garcia), who admits she talked Assane's father into signing a confession,
but that things didn't go as planned from there on, all thanks to the
detective overlooking the case, Dumont (Johann Dionnet) - and now it seems
Assane has found the man he ought to be after ... What really
works in this episode is the clockwork precision with which Assane's plots
tend to work out, despite the spectacle often involved, which is really
how Maurice Leblanc wrote his books this series is inspired by, and Omar
Sy is relatable and capable enough to pull that off. What on the other
hand doesn't work that well is this episode's constant references to
Maurice Leblanc's books - as good as these actually are, it comes to a
point here where the referencing resembles crude product placement and
transmits the feeling the series cannot stand on its own. The other thing
a bit bothersome is the scenes with Assane's ex-wife (Ludivine Sagnier)
and son (Etan Simon) that just don't drive the story, to a point where
these scenes become jarring. That said, it's fun, really.
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