Strange Psychokinetic Strategy
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| Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy | |
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| Directed by | Takashi Tsuboshima |
| Produced by | Tetsuo Katayama |
| Written by | Hiroshi Nagano |
| Starring | Yuki Meguro |
| Music by | Masaru Satou |
| Release date(s) | 1974 |
| Running time | 82 min. |
| Language | Japanese |
| IMDb profile | |
Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (Japanese title: Rupan sansei: Nenrikichan sakusen) was the first Lupin III movie, and was actually a live-action film.
The characters are, for the most part, quite different from the manga/anime, with the exception of Fujiko who is pretty much spot-on, and Goemon, who is totally absent from the film. Jigen is the last survivor of Lupin II's criminal empire, obliterated by the Maccherone Family. He has tracked down a dead ringer for his former boss, who turns out to be the last living of the latter's sons; thus making him Lupin III.
This Lupin is an incredibly skilled and agile thief, who has fallen in love with a beautiful prisoner (Fujiko, of course) and freed her from jail. Instead of thanking him, she knocked him out and stole his clothes, which led to his arrest by Inspector Zenigata - who in this incarnation is a bumbling slapstick character. Lupin is released due to lack of evidence, and it is here Jigen finds him. He tells him of his heritage and urges him to start rebuilding the empire and avenge his father. Lupin is largely unintersted, though, as his plans mostly involve getting laid as often as possible and especially finding a way into Fujiko's pants. He teams up with her for a burglary, which leads to further complications and run-ins with the Maccherone family. In the end, everyone has the same goal - to steal an old Dogu clay figure with "psychokinetic" powers. Zenigata has naturally been assigned to protect it...
The movie can be said to have a plot only in the loosest sense of the word. It's mainly a long string of wacky situations which are mostly pointless and do little to advance the story. However, the absurd and irreverent tone often captures the spirit (if not the essence) of the manga, making the movie a quite enjoyable experience - as long as one does not expect a traditional Lupin adventure.
The film is also utterly camp, and there are many gay jokes/references as well as several prominent rainbows in the backdrops. It's not clear if this signifies anything, but it accentuates the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the movie. It does not take itself seriously, which is its main saving grace.
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