Lupin the 3rd: From Siberia with Love

The Lupin gang is back, and while this TV special is not anything special, it's still a pleasant watch.

The plot is not very strong in this one, pretty much Lupin and his buddy Jigen set out to rob a bank, with some help from Fujiko. Still, it's fun to see the gang do an old fashioned crime like a bank robbery, compared to the crazy stuff they are usually up to in these.

The villain is a flashy one in this, Rasputin. A crazy monk with a gimmick where he pokes his finger into various orifices on people's faces, like their mouth or nose. He's a very over the top evil villain, and of course he wants what is in the bank as well.

Lupin's samurai pal Goemon is used very oddly in this one. He's studying meditation and whatnot under Rasputin, so he doesn't have as much fun as usual. Inspector Zenigata doesn't have much to do here either.

Fujiko has some cute funny moments though, and the classic duo of Lupin and Jigen is great as always.

What makes this a merely decent Lupin movie is that it just feels like random events stuck together, with little holding it together. Cars explode, people shoot at Lupin, and they're always on the run.

That wouldn't be a problem if the movie relished the fun absurdity like Lupin often does, but this one lacks that feeling. This is the last special directed by Osamu Dezaki and with character design by Noboru Furuse. Which is good, because they really didn't bring enough flair to the visual department in these first four Lupin specials.

All in all, this is a decent Lupin romp, though uneven and a bit lacking in style. Lupin fans should have a pleasant enough time watching this, but I'd recommend checking out the gang's other better adventures.