Lupin III: From Siberia With Love, originally released as From Russia With Love note is the fourth TV special created for the Lupin III franchise and was released on July 24, 1992. Like the earlier specials, it was directed by Osamu Dezaki. It received an English sub release from Discotek Media in 2015, which went under the working title of Bank of Liberty before being finalized as above.
A lost cache of Romanov gold to the tune of five hundred tons has turned up in the United States, and Lupin III has his eye set on it. Together with Jigen and Fujiko, the three set up a heist at a bank in Texas that happens to double as a bank for thieves to keep their stolen treasures safe until the heat has died down.
But other parties are interested in the legendary lost treasure. Among them are the Cartione mafia family, who have sent two operatives, Big and Lucky, after Lupin and his gang. An American woman named Judy Scott who seemingly gets involved by a chance encounter with Lupin is involved more deeply than she initially lets on. But the most dangerous of all is Rasputon, a descendant of the Mad Monk who has telepathic powers and controls a global cult with influence that runs all the way up to heads of state. Rasputon further complicates matters by stealing Zantestuken, forcing Goemon to be his bodyguard and turn on his allies in exchange for the sword's return.
As the heist goes down, double-crosses are made, and everyone descends on Rasputon's stronghold in Siberia to sort things out, who will end up with the lost fortune of the Romanov family?
Preceded by Lupin III: Steal Napoleon's Dictionary and followed by Lupin III: Voyage to Danger.
Complete spoilers below — don't read further if you don't want to know how this caper turns out!
The TV Special contains examples of the following tropes:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Averted as a plot point; Goemon is forced to work for the bad guys because his Zantetsuken was stolen by Rasputon and exchanged with a bamboo copy.
- Artistic License – Geography:
- Circa 1992, the population of San Antonio, which is referred to in film as a "small town," was close to a million people. That's not exactly small...
- Also, if you're American, try not be amused at a sign post that says "Monument Valley" to the left and "New York" to the right where the two things aren't anywhere near each other, let alone near San Antonio.
- Bank Robbery: The entire second act of the story has Lupin, aided by Jigen, Fujiko and Judy, trying to steal the 500 tons of gold from the secret subterranean vault of the Bank of Liberty.
- Big Bad: Rasputon, cult leader who's after the Gold of the Romanov.
- Big Badass Rig: Big and Lucky have one that they use to plow through a traffic jam to get to Lupin and Jigen (and the book) in New York, and later use against Fujiko in Texas to force her off the road.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Donbino, ascended boss of the Cartione Family, who's not as malleable as his grandfather, and far more dangerous.
- Big "NO!": Fujiko at the end, when Lupin agrees to leave the gold to Judy, the last living heir of the Romanov family who wishes to use it to help Russia.
- Bigger on the Inside: The Bank of Liberty was originally surrounded by fields that the builders took advantage of to create huge underground vaults; these were later covered by the town as it grew up around the bank.
- Butt-Monkey: Poor Zenigata is essentially Demoted to Extra here and doesn't get much to do in the special... forced to chase Lupin cross-country on a bicycle, being trapped in his own handcuffs, and finally left by Lupin in Siberia.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Turns out that Rasputon not only is a psychic, but can also pierce flesh and bone alike with his fingers.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Lupin is pretty handsy with Judy... until she reveals she's suing her boss for sexual harassment. Afterwards, he keeps his hands off, but he still flirts with her.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Fujiko, as always, tries to make off with everything for herself. Rather fittingly, she's then backstabbed by Judy, who takes all the gold in the end so she can help the people of Russia.
- Clothing Damage: Lupin is forced to flee from Zenigata as he's cuddling with the sexy librarian, ripping her top and bra to shreds as a distraction. The girl... doesn't take it very well.
- Combat Clairvoyance: Rasputon's ability to read minds allows him to dodge even bullets at close range. Only Lupin masters the trick to defeating him: emptying his mind.
- Cool Plane: Rasputon's "Emperor of Tundra" is a gigantic soviet plane he bought at the black market. Lupin uses it during the climax to steal back the gold from the ruined fortress.
- Cool Shades: Lucky and Big wear bulletproof shades. Strong enough to No-Sell Jigen's bullets.
- Creepy Long Fingers: Rasputon has unusually long and thick fingers he often shoves in other people's mouths, ears or noses.
- Determinator: Zenigata, as expected, not only chases after Lupin's race car with a bicycle, but also chases him all the way to Siberia from America, somehow managing to beat him to the place.
- Did Anastasia Survive?: According to the film, she secretly escaped to America. Judy turns out to be her granddaughter.
- Dirty Old Man: Boss Cartione is a rather creepy example: one thing is sleeping with a cute doll, another is having one which, among various stock phrases, says "Shall we take a shower together?". His grandson is so disgusted he even shots the doll after killing him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The librarian girl in the beginning: being furious because she was left topless by Lupin in public is understandable, as is her violence at him. It's less so towards any unfortunate bystanders nearby.
- Double Agent: Big and Lucky are working for both the Cartione family and Rasputon.
- Engrish: As written on its own sign, it's "The Bank of Libarty."
- Evil Versus Evil: Near the climax, Donbino Cartione decides he has enough of Rasputon's manipulations and tries to force him to give back the gold.
- Exposed to the Elements: Averted by Goemon for Rule of Funny; every time he goes outside of Rasputon's temple into the blizzard, he begins sneezing since he's still just in his normal clothing without a coat or any extra protection.
- Fanservice:
- The librarian in the beginning is a rather foxy woman who accidentally gets a topless scene, though the fanservice may be quickly diminished by the fact that she's furious.
- Judy is first introduced in a towel after taking a shower and is seen getting dressed as Lupin studies the book in the next room. Later on she gets a scene in her bra.
- Faux Affably Evil: Rasputon sounds affable, soothing and understanding, but is a ruthless, power-hungry maniac who despises his own benefactors.
- Femme Fatale: Fujiko actually uses her charms to recruit an entire bar full of truckers so that they can load the crates with the stolen gold and get away.
- Fighting Your Friend: Goemon is forced to work for Rasputon and, at one point, to attack Lupin and Jigen. He only pretends to kill them though.
- Finger Poke of Doom: Played for laughs with Rasputon's habit to interrupt people by suddenly shoving his finger in their mouths/ears/other orifices. Played straight during the climax in his fight with Donbino and his men.
- Flipping the Bird: After Fujiko is forced off the road by Big, she gives one to their truck and yells "Fuck you!" When Big asks what she said, Lucky replies with "She said she loves you."
- Full-Frontal Assault: The librarian in the beginning is mad enough to kick the crap out of Lupin with no clothes on, her nippled boobs in full sight.
- Genre Savvy: Donbino knows that Rasputon is manipulative and resourceful, which is why he secretly mines the prophet's fortress with lots of explosives and threatens to blow it away one piece at a time if Rasputon doesn't give back the gold.
- Giving Someone the Pointer Finger:
- Rasputon, literally; he keeps jamming his finger into ears, mouths, and noses to prove his telepathic abilities. Goemon takes the brunt of the abuse trying to challenge Rasputon's skills, but even when the samurai tries to block Rasputon, he can't.
- He upgrades his moves at the end of the film to far more fatal results, plunging them into hearts and guts, culminating in an Eye Scream for Donbino.
- Heel–Face Turn: Lucky, originally paid to kill Lupin and get the gold, defects and sides with the heroes when his partner Big dies during Rasputon's bombardment.
- Hollywood Density: Zigzagged, Jigen does point out that they'll need some awesome transportation to take all the gold away. The plan actually involves some industrial machinery to remove the gold from the vault and transport it via a convoy of trucks.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Inverted. Rasputon has stolen Zantetsuken and replaced it with a fake. After Goemon finds out, the only way he can get it back is to help Rasputon defeat Lupin and get the gold.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: When Rasputon finds Judy in his living room, he pushes her on the sofa and rips off her clothes, proposing her an alliance to control Russia from the shadows as he touches her breasts.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Jigen manages to shoot Big and Lucky in the eyes while falling from a few stories down. But even he can't land a shot on Rasputon.
- Kick the Dog: Rasputon has his own hitmen killed after completing the mission for sheer lack of empathy.
- Laser-Guided Karma: As usual, Fujiko, in cahoots with Judy, betrays Lupin and tries to keep the gold for her and Judy to split 70-30%. However, as she's about to part ways with Judy, her ex-partner betrays Fujiko and steals all her gold at gunpoint.
- Love at First Sight: Lupin has a crush on Judy throughout the special, but it's actually Goemon who falls hard for her out of the blue towards the end, especially after she retrieves his sword.
- Misplaced Retribution: The librarian is so angry for the humiliation she actually snatches Zenigata as he's trying to pursue Lupin and drags him back inside where she can whale on him.
- Negated Moment of Awesome: Lucky joins the group, hoping to avenge his comrade Big. When he finally has Rasputon at gunpoint, his shotgun anticlimatically jams and the monk kills him.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed:
- Rasputon is visited by "President Butch" at the beginning of the film. George H. W. Bush would have been president at the time of the movie's debut. Particularly funny as Butch mentioned he should have "canceled that visit to the Japan earlier this year;" he refers to the infamous incident where he was ill and vomited during a Japanese state dinner.
- He later has a meeting with a Mikhail Gorbachev-looking fellow who complains about "that bastard Jeltsin."
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Donbino is ruthless and pragmatic, as well as distrustful of Rasputon oracular powers.
- Pinky Swear: Goemon makes one to Judy; he'll help her defeat Rasputon and get the gold if she helps him get his sword back.
- Pointy Ears: Lucky has them, for some reason.
- The Precarious Ledge: Lupin, Jigen, and Judy hide on the one outside of Judy's apartment after Big and Lucky come after them and the book. It works until Lucky spots the mirror Lupin is using to peek into the window.
- Pretty Little Headshots: How Rasputon finally bites it, after Lupin clears his mind to negate Rasputon's powers.
- Really Royalty Reveal: Judy is the true, last living heir of the Romanovs, which is why she wants the gold.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Lucky and Big: Big is huge, brutal but also not too bright and surprisingly frivolous in his free time. Lucky is a smart midget who's far more careful and serious than his partner.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Lucky seeks one with Lupin's help after his Heterosexual Life-Partner Big is killed when bombs the hideout without warning. Alas, his shotgun jams when he confronts Rasputon, who takes the opportunity to end him with a blow to the gut.
- Running Gag: Rasputon sticking his finger inside other people's mouths. Judy eventually bites him.
- Scam Religion:
- Rasputon runs one that advises world leaders and the rich. It's powerful enough to have massive temples in ten countries around the world. Goemon goes there to study and sees through it pretty quickly; unfortunately, Rasputon has other plans for him.
- As it's revealed towards the end of the film, he's also using his global influence to distribute drugs to fund his empire.
- Shameful Strip: Lupin rips off the librarian's shirt to help distract Pops so he and Jigen can get away. It backfires when the arriving police force the two back into the library, and she proceeds to beat the crap out of Lupin.
- Sinister Minister: Rasputon, a self-proclaimed pope and leader of a cult with temples all over the world, involved in all sort of criminal acts to fund his forces, inclusing drug smuggling.
- Slut-Shaming: Fujiko enters a diner, and the truckers drool over her; the unimpressed waitress, after Fujiko orders a soda, also asks her if she wants a "big sausage." Fujiko is unfazed, since she has the eye of the truckers she needs to complete the heist.
- Spy Cam: Lupin uses one to take pictures of every page of "The Ransom of King Romanov." Good thing he does... the book gets stolen from him shortly afterward.
- The Starscream: Donbino, the grandson of mafia head Cartione, thinks his grandfather is a doddering old fool for believing Rasputon. After Cartione orders him to let Rasputon just have the cold, Donbino has enough and shoots his grandfather in cold blood, acquiring control of the family. Turns out he's no better at leading than his late grandpa.
- Sunglasses at Night: Not only are Big and Lucky's shades cool looking, but they're bulletproof. It's the only reason they survive Jigen's headshots at the beginning of the movie.
- Taking You with Me:
- A fatally-blinded Donbino activates all the explosive charges at once, destroying Rasputon's stronghold.
- After Lupin shoots him, Rasputon activates a hidden mechanism in his cross that causes him to self-immolate, taking the Emperor of Tundra down in flames.
- Tantrum Throwing: Fujiko hilariously runs around screaming "No, no, no!" in a childish rage after Lupin lets Judy have the gold.
- Telepathy: Rasputon boasts his skill at this, able to read minds and predict moves, even from Jigen and Goemon. It takes Lupin literally emptying his mind of thoughts for Rasputon to finally be brought down with a bullet from his Walther.
- Top-Heavy Guy: Rasputon has some pretty large shoulders, and Big is also pretty stacked.
- Unstoppable Rage: The librarian girl. Having her clothes ripped to shreds from nowhere leads to her channeling her inner Guts and trying to get even with Lupin by punching, kicking and by throwing bookshelves and tables at him.
- You Watch Too Much X: The police commissioner besieging Bank of Liberty has seen too many action movies, explaining his gung-ho approach to matters.
