You’ve read the original manga series from Monkey Punch. You’ve seen Miyazaki’s exquisite “Castle of Cagliostro”. You’ve watched all the films, every TV episode, and the complete special, so you know all there is about master thief Lupin III. Or do you? For your consideration, O Lupin-phile, the 1974 LIVE-ACTION romp LUPIN III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy.

Akin to his anime namesake, the film opens with Lupin stealing a luxury car right out from its owner’s nose. Cruising along, our boy spots a beautiful lady, who just so happens to be on the way to prison, locked in a police transport. Totally smitten, Lupin wrecks the car, steals a motorcycle and ultimately- and quite literally – drops in on his newfound love. Impressed by his moxy, Fujiko agrees to a date – but Lupin has to pick her up that night from the prison. Like that’s ever stopped Lupin III before...

Wacky hi-jinks ensue that night as Lupin makes a break with his date and evades the guards. Instead of a kiss for her knight, Fujiko uses a razor-sharp plying card tucked in her undies to cut through a tree branch and knock out our hero! So much for love...The next day Lupin’s in the clink, with a very belligerent Inspector Zenigata and his lackeys wanting some answers! Meanwhile, Jigen makes the scene, confiding the history of the Lupin family with a local priest. Jigen is the last survivor of the Lupin II Empire, and now he needs to find his boss’s son to crush the Mob who destroyed Lupin’s legacy. In a flashback, it’s revealed that Lupin was raised at this orphanage for safekeeping, but he was always making trouble. Jigen’s gun skills make short work of some Mob assassins and he goes to find Lupin, who is now free out of jail. There was not enough evidence to hold him, and so he steals a new suit and steals a wallet – Jigen’s! After a tense showdown, the gunman confirms Lupin’s identity and swears allegiance to him.

Zenigata has been ordered to keep an eye on Lupin, but the Old Man can’t control himself and tries to take Lupin and Jigen in! A wild chase proves fruitless for the Inspector as the duo escape. Next day, Jigen is appalled at Lupin’s cavalier lifestyle – he doesn’t want to rebuild his father’s Empire! Lupin takes it all in stride – he does whatever, whenever. The world is his. And right now, he wants Fujiko, whom he spies through his telescope. In a flash, he’s there beside her. Fuji expertly wraps the lovesick Lupin around her little finger, but finds out her card trick won’t work twice. So after getting Lupin to agree to a jewel heist, she makes a call to a certain inspector.... Has Zenigata finally gotten the drop on Lupin? The Mob knows about Lupin – will they make a move to wipe out their late rival’s son as well? Will a certain national treasure be safe from the world’s greatest their? And will Lupin ever get Fuji in the sack? Tune in, campers!

If there ever was a live action film that wanted to be a cartoon, LUPIN III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy is it. The comedy is way waaay over the top, reminding me of Benny Hill or the early “Pink Panther” films; there are lots of pixilation (sped up) scenes and Lupin breaks the ‘fourth wall’, talking directly to the audience at one point. Despite taking a few liberties (with Lupin and Jigen’s origins mainly), the script stays true to the established characterizations of Lupin and the gang – Fuji’s sexy & manipulative, Jigen’s loyal, Zenigata’s clueless and Lupin is suave, sophisticated and horny. But the true Lupin fan will notice a glaring omission - LUPIN III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy does not include the character of Goemon (the series moral center). It would have been nice for him to have a least a token appearance, but the action is so ‘anything goes’ Goemon’s Zen –like disposition would have eventually become out of place in this film’s context. The producers actually ramp up the comedy by giving Zenigata two bumbling assistants who cause even more chaos for the Inspector. The actors must be having a blast playing these roles, and that sense of fun and wildness exudes from their performances. Production-wise, the picture quality of this print is gorgeous; the colors are bright and the picture sharp and distinct – pretty amazing for an over 30 year-old movie. The audio is only in Japanese (with an English subtitle option), but very clean. The music score is a combination of standard 1970’s action soundtrack fare combined with Ragtime (!), which only reinforces the comedic slant of the film. Yes, there may be no underlying suspense, or character insights, or even moral lesson, but viewed as a wacky comic take, LUPIN III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy is a worthy diversion and should be considered a true part of the Lupin mythos.

Discotek Media has released the ‘special edition’ of LUPIN III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy with surprisingly few extras. There is a trailer for the film and a photo gallery (which does have some behind the scenes shots). That’s it. Fortunately, the booklet included with the DVD has a very informative essay chronicling the history of Lupin III, and explaining many of the film’s in-jokes we Westerns would have missed.

Lupin III is an anime icon; the nimble master thief with a heart of gold and hormones out of check, but he and his mates always wind up doing the right thing in the end. LUPIN III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy is a flat out, over-the-top comedy tangent worthy of the franchise that will leave you rolling in the aisle. Just be sure to hang on to your wallet....