France’s Omar Sy gives ‘Lupin’ a 21st-century look

Above : Omar Sy stars in the Netflix French-language series “Lupin.” (Photo/Netflix)

Miniseries review : “Lupin,” created by George McKay, starring Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Hervé Pierre. Streaming on Netflix in dubbed and subtitled versions.

As anyone who has ever haunted the aisles of a library knows, the world of literature is large. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to get a handle on the literary works of one’s own country, much less that of the entire world. Yet, too, even some obvious examples can go easily unnoticed. Case in point, the fictional French “gentleman burglar” Arsène Lupin.

Never heard of the character? Yeah, me neither. Our bad.

Because created by the writer Maurice Leblanc, and debuting in a series of short stories in 1905, Lupin ended up being so popular in France that he’s appeared in some 20-odd Leblanc-written novels. Furthermore, this French equivalent of Sherlock Holmes has lived on far beyond the page – being rendered in some form or other on the stage, in film, in videogames and on television, most recently in the two seasons of the Netflix series titled, simply, “Lupin.”

It is through that series that I first heard of Leblanc’s creation. And so I was not surprised by the manner in which the series’ producers interpreted the character. By which I mean they cast not a traditional Roger Moore-type white actor to play the series’ lead, which would be natural since Moore himself played such a character, “The Saint,” in the 1960s. Instead, they cast the French-born actor of African descent, Omar Sy , which would be a little like casting, say, Idris Elba to play James Bond – and, which, by the way actually would be a good idea, too.

Here’s the difference: From the beginning, double-O-Seven author Ian Fleming envisioned Bond as a white guy who resembles a “cold and ruthless” version of the late singer and actor Hoagy Carmichael. (And if by chance you don’t know who Hoagy Carmichael is, Google him.) Meanwhile, Leblanc’s Lupin has been popularly thought of as “a suave man in a monocle and top hat, wearing a tuxedo with white gloves and carrying a cane,” which in 1905 terms would no doubt mean that Leblanc pictured him to be, like Bond, white.

Yet Leblanc himself wrote that Lupin was such a master of disguise – “in turn a chauffeur, detective, bookmaker, Russian physician, Spanish bull-fighter, commercial traveler, robust youth, or decrepit old man” – that the character himself no longer knew who he was. Leblanc even quotes Lupin at one point as saying, “I cannot recognize myself in the mirror.”

Clearly, then, Lupin could be played by anyone, of any race or even – these days in particular – gender. The casting of Sy in particular, though, isn’t just innovative, it’s inspired. The producers clearly recognize on-screen charisma when they see it.

It’s not as if Sy plays the actual Lupin, of course. He’s a character named Assane Diop who as a kid was orphaned when his father was wrongfully sent to prison, where he died. Assane then grew up with an innate sense of daring, a keen ability to escape from the cleverest of traps, an enduring need to avenge his father’s death – and a fanboy’s adoration for the fictional Lupin, passed on to him by his father.

In 10 episodes playing over the course of two seasons – the first of which premiered on Netflix Jan. 8th, the second on June 11th – we meet not just Assane but the whole cast of characters that will play a part in the overall storyline. Prominent among these are his former girlfriend, their 15-year-old son and the slimy head of the family that took advantage of Assane’s father.

And by playing with chronology, we see how Assane and his father’s history unfolds, how the present-day Assane goes about his business – which, after all, is a gentlemanly style of thievery – and how he concocts a plan for revenge.

Not everything in the series fits together realistically. Some of Assane’s escapes are too incredible to believe. And while Sy is always interesting to watch, the fact that he stands 6-feet-3 and weighs well in excess of 200 pounds means no disguise is going to mask his identity completely.

The disguise issue, at least, does work thematically. While the series offers little overt social commentary, it does address – at various points – issues of race. For example, whenever Assane poses as a simple worker – a delivery driver, say, or a waiter – he becomes virtually invisible to the mostly white patrons he deals with. Ironically, not being seen ends up being a major secret of Assane’s success.

“Lupin,” then, offers viewers more than mere entertainment. It gives us a chance to see just how versatile Omar Sy’s talents can be. It reminds us that even Europeans need to work on their cultural biases. And it reminds me that I need to spend more time in the library. I have some Maurice Leblanc books to check out.