Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1999)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The second Lupin III movie is also the directorial debut of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Almost all Lupin fans agree that this one is the best in the series and I am no exception. So, the film starts off with Lupin and Jigen robbing an international casino. While celebrating in their car, Lupin makes the discovery that all the money is fake. Determined to seek vengeance, Lupin and Jigen travel to the small country of Caglisotro, which is rumored to be the origin of the counterfeits. There they come across a group of henchmen partaking in a car chase with a beautiful damsel named Clarisse. Though she is captured by the bad guys, she leaves Lupin a signet ring. Lupin later discovers that Clarrisse is a princess and is being forced to marry the evil Count Cagliostro and he it trying to use the ring to uncover an ancient treasure left behind by his ancestors. Now with the help of Fujiko Mine and Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Lupin and Jigen set out to infiltrate the Castle of Cagliostro to save Clarisse, foil the counterfeiting scheme, uncover the treasure, and outwit Inspector Zenigata, who is determined to have them all arrested.The Castle of Cagliostro is an animated masterpiece with breathtaking action and comedy and should be an enjoyable romp for anyone who sees it.

Hayao Miyazaki directed this marvelous mix of action, fantasy, adventure, and comedy. He takes on so many genres, the plot is damn near winded from how much ground it covers. The genesis of the plot is a supposed hidden treasure and this villainous count who wants it all for himself. A princess is his potential key to finding the treasure. But the count's got problems when a couple of burglars and their samurai friend impede upon his plans; that, and a police Interpol inspector (and his officers) who not only wants to prove that the count is crooked but find the master burglars who have been traveling all over robbing places.Miyazaki's animation might be viewed as a bit primitive when compared to Spirited Away, but I think compared to other animation seen on television "The Castle of Cagliostro" is a knock-out. Certainly the dungeon, aqueduct, and clocktower sequences are exciting (if a bit far-fetched, but I let that go; I just consider the anti-hero Lupin larger-than-life and let it be) and thrilling to watch, and the Lupin III character (a popular manga character) survives one hairy situation after another. Lupin being able to breathe underwater and swim against powerful current flowing against him, hanging, scaling, and climbing up the castle structures (and how he hops the rooftops) with relative ease (I say that reluctantly as he must tip-toe and combat downhill movement when he loses step), and resist being crushed in giant gears and sprockets (in the aqueduct and clocktower) establishes the lead character as superhuman. He is clearly shot in a way that could kill him (he even bleeds out a stream!), he falls to his ass after a log-piece his "rescue string" is tied around pulls from the roots (landing on his head!), and dives from a long distance (capturing a falling Princess Clarisse to boot) head-first into a lake that surrounds the castle. So suspend disbelief.Count Cagliostro is a classic heavy. He plans to force Clarisse into marriage to secure a hidden treasure through their union (but he mainly just wants her ring, with a crest that is to be associated with his own ring's family crest), and he has a host of imperial guards with shields and swords (but doesn't mind using ninjas with guns or knives for claws, either!) at his disposal. Lupin and buddies, Jigen and Goemon (partner-in-crime and swordsman respectively) will make things difficult. Lupin is driven by an encounter with Clarisse when she was younger, offering assistance to him when he was hurt after a heist chase, while Jigen and Goemon are just loyal to the master thief. Interpol cop, Zenigata, has been on Lupin's trail for ages, trying desperately, without much luck, to catch him. Here is a chance to do that, but it is Lupin (believe it or not!) who calls him to Cagliostro's castle estate! Lupin is a character who is so confident and slippery, it is never in doubt he will succeed in rescuing the damsel and costing the Count his quest. Not without a share of difficulty, though. But I thought the character of Zenigata, and his red-faced responses to adversity and frustration, was a real treat. But Lupin is your classic likable thief character. He has integrity in that the danger and peril constantly placing Lupin in jeopardy didn't thwart his efforts to save Clarisse. There is also a female spy character that Lupin has a past with who gets in on the action (fired at by the guards, and packing heat herself, more than willing to exchange gunfire, narrowly avoiding death). So lots of fun characters and action in Miyazaki's film. The hidden city ending is beautiful eye candy, and has a sense of irony considering the Cagliostro villain believes it is treasure…his fate on the clocktower is a doozy! The autogyro and car chases are vehicular highlights as well!

Hayao Miyazaki's feature film debut may not be as polished as his best works but it's still an impressive start to what would later become one of the most celebrated film careers in motion picture history and wonderfully captures the legendary filmmaker planting the seeds of what he would portray so flawlessly in his later films.The Castle of Cagliostro (also known as Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro) tells the story of a flamboyant thief who along with his partner-in-crime robs a casino only to later discover that the money is counterfeit. The plot covers his adventures in the land of Cagliostro; the rumoured source of forged bills, where he tries to save the princess from a corrupt Count.Co-written & directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film is an incredibly light-hearted & endlessly fun adventure that contains many elements which later became Miyazaki's own trademarks, most notable being his fascination with European architecture. The hand-drawn animation has a very different tone n feel when compared to the rest of his filmography & same goes for its narrative.Bearing more resemblance to stories one might associate with the character of Tintin, The Castle of Caglostrio is full of action & plays out like a mystery for the most part. Humour is used to great effect, characters aren't mere caricatures plus are brilliantly supported by the voice cast, the plot does get a bit cumbersome during the middle act but it still does well in retaining its sense of fun for the most part.On an overall scale, The Castle of Cagliostro is an influential example of the anime genre that has garnered a devoted fan base over the years & remains one of the only two films directed by Miyazaki that doesn't feature in Studio Ghibli's repertoire. The animation may be crude & unrefined but the quality of storytelling isn't. An enjoyable, entertaining & fun ride, if not a memorable one, The Castle of Cagliostro is definitely worth a shot.

If you have even the slightest interest in animated movies then there is no doubt you have at least heard of Hayao Miyazaki, the genius behind such movies as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, and this is the movie that started his legendary career and is by far his most underrated, at least outside of Japan.For those of you who don't know, Lupin III is a Japanese comic book following a thief, the titular Lupin, and his gang as they travel all across the world in search for adventure while being constantly pursued by Interpol agent, Zenigata.After a successful robbery of a French casino, Lupin and closest companion, Jigen, flee to the tiny independent nation of Cagliostro where they discover a huge conspiracy involving an evil baron forcing a young girl against her will to get his hands on a rumoured treasure and Lupin and his gang take it upon themselves to rescue her and find the treasure themselves.Yeah, the plot does sound pretty cliché but it's execution is near flawless. Just a good old fashioned adventure will great characters. The animation is very good, especially for the time. The music is great and memorable. I love the atmosphere it creates with the fairy-tale like kingdom. The voice acting is top-notch. There's plenty of action and slapstick comedy. It's just great all around.However, the main villain is very generic. Just a stereotypical rich slime-ball with no regard for anyone but himself but to be fair, in a movie like this, the villain takes a back seat for the heroes who are done very so I can't really hold it against the film.Overall, it's a classic adventure film that shouldn't be passed up by anyone. You'll be entertained from beginning to end.