Reviews: A gentleman thief returns to Netflix

Season 2 of Lupin, the latest TV adaptation of the French novellas written by Maurice Leblanc detailing the escapades of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, has recently started streaming on Netflix. For those who missed the first series, it’s a powerful mixture of light-hearted con-artistry and tense, darkly sketched drama. The modern Lupin (played by internationally successful French film star Omar Sy) is black, a father, divorced and has a lot of revenge to take out on French society. But far from a predictable caricature of a troubled hero, Lupin is a cool, charming, relaxed protagonist, whose hidden anger is gradually unsheathed over the course of the series.

In terms of structure, the series manages to cover everything from the day-to-day life of Lupin, his gradually unfurling backstory and a huge network of corruption amongst the French elites, all whilst delivering a highly satisfying episodic structure of brilliantly executed cons. The programme has something of The Count of Monte Cristo about it, with our criminal hero seeking revenge for his dead father and his own blighted life, bringing down leading lights of Parisian society in the process. The second series ratchets up the intensity, with the quest for revenge driving Lupin further down a difficult and ethically hazardous road.

What sets Lupin apart from other ‘anti-hero’ TV shows is its sense of charm, high stakes and moral centre. No character is ever treated as disposable, and the sense of danger both physical and moral is ever-present. It’s rare for a Netflix drama, let alone one about a con-artist, to achieve moral seriousness, but Lupin manages it.

Lupin is now streaming on Netflix.