Quick Review: ‘Lupin The IIIrd: Immortal Bloodline’

Created by manga-ka Monkey Punch in the 1960s, Lupin the IIIrd is a long-running series focusing on a gang of unique criminals who pull off impossible heists all over the world. The core characters are Lupin, the master of disguise; the gunslinger Daisuke Jigen; the swordsman Goemon Ishikawa; and the femme fatale Fujiko Mine.

I was first introduced to director Takeshi Koike via his mind-blowing work on Redline. I loved his neo-grindhouse interpretation of Lupin the IIIrd with the OVAs: Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone, Goemon Ishikawa’s Blood Spray, and Fujiko’s Lie. I consider Koike’s Lupin OVAs to be some of the finest anime in recent years — the only dud being Zenigata and the Two Lupins because of CGI background characters clashing horribly with the beautifully rendered, hand-drawn animation (but I’ll come back to that).

Lupin The IIIrd: Immortal Bloodline acts as the culmination of all the plot-lines and characters set up in the previous OVAs. Immortal Bloodline also acts as a spiritual successor to other fan-favorite Lupin films — Island of Assassins and The Mystery of Mamo. Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko find themselves stranded on a mysterious island teaming with killer cyborgs and ruled by the super-intelligent ape-like Muom. After years of building anticipation, does Immortal Bloodline do justice to such an iconic character?

It’s clear that no one is a bigger fan of Lupin than Takeshi Koike. His interpretation of the characters feels classic, but also fresh and modern. Koike brought Lupin back to the manga’s darker and sexually-charged roots, and expertly juggles multiple genres and tonalities. Immortal Bloodline is a heist film, spy thriller, globetrotting adventure, and sci-fi horror film all rolled into one. The action is top-notch; delivering shootouts, showdowns, and car-chases that put Hollywood to shame. Muom and his interpreter are great villains and strike the right balance between creepy and campy.

Fans of Koike’s previous OVAs will have a blast with Immortal Bloodline. However, janky CGI fodder-enemies add a noticeable blemish on such a great-looking film. Lupin’s archvillain, Mamo, does makes a cameo appearance but feels more like a sequel-tease rather than essential to the film’s story. Admittedly, I would have loved the film more if it acted as a conclusion rather than a puzzle-piece of a potential future adventure.

Lupin The IIIrd: Immortal Bloodline marks the end of an era — a legendary animator’s unique and unparalleled interpretation of an iconic character. There are many anime adaptations of Lupin the IIIrd; Koike’s vision is one of the best.