![]() ![]() Of course the idea of a gentleman thief would appeal to him, and of course he would have reason to turn to extralegal methods to actually get things done.Before landing his breakout role in 2011's The Intouchables, Omar was a comedian who had a long-running TV show on Canal+ with his comedy partner, Fred Testot. The world (or at least, those in power) has always let Assane down. Early on, when Assane arrives at an expensive private school, he’s surrounded by white students, and most of them make no effort to disguise their surprise at a Black classmate. ![]() That his father was a Black man, “fresh off the boat,” according to the police, arguing his innocence against an affluent white man (who refers to him both as a “monkey” and as “that,” rather than as a human being) made his case an impossible one, and Assane, in his pursuit of justice, takes advantage of the fact that the (mostly) white people he’s duping either don’t notice him or, if they do, can be called on their racist suspicions. The key thing that the series brings to the table, however, isn’t a part of Leblanc’s original work. Assane is a Senegalese immigrant, and his race plays a large part in the story. It never abandons the sense of fun to be had in stealing outrageously expensive objects in outrageously expensive schemes. As Monsieur Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre) becomes aware that some unseen force is mobilizing against him, he doesn’t shy away from violent retaliation. As the show jumps back and forth in time, not just to explain parts of Assane’s plan but to fill in details about his youth and personal life, it doesn’t abandon the sense of fun to be had in stealing outrageously expensive objects in outrageously expensive schemes, but moves seamlessly into darker, heavier territory. The “thief” aspect of the show has all the charm and magnetism of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11, and the series’s more longform format (it consists of two parts of five episodes each) has the benefit of properly fleshing out the “gentleman” aspect of Assane’s character. ![]() ![]() In his hideout, Assane sits in a chair shaped like a giant mask, and in the show’s very first episode, he pulls off a heist in the Louvre that ends with a car crashing through the inverted glass pyramid outside the museum. The series, created by George Kay in collaboration with François Uzan, and with talents like Louis Leterrier (the first two Transporter movies) in the director’s seat, is nothing if not stylish. This job-Assane’s last, of course-is not just about the necklace but uncovering the truth and making the man responsible for his father’s death finally face the music. Here’s the Episode You Should Start With. And Just Like That… Che Flirts and Charlotte Goes Back to Work.Netflix’s New Show Stars Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler. His latest target? A necklace once owned by Marie Antoinette, being auctioned off by the fictional Pellegrini family-and the supposed theft of which put Assane’s father in jail, causing him to commit suicide soon afterward. As an adult, he uses anagrams of Arsène Lupin as his pseudonyms-Paul Serrine, for instance-as he pulls off job after job. Rather, he appears as an object of fascination for Assane Diop (Sy), who, as a teenager, received the first of the Lupin mysteries from his father. To be clear, Lupin doesn’t appear in Lupin, or at least not in the flesh. Send me updates about Slate special offers. ![]()
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