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Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin, Line Noro, Lucas Gridoux, Gabriel Gabrio ... see more see more... , Saturnin Fabre , Fernand Charpin , Marcel Dalio , Gaston Modot , Gilbert Gil , Rene Bergeron , Renée Carl , Frehel , Charles Granval , Robert Ozanne , Georges Péclet , Phillipe Richard , Jean Temerson , Frank Maurice , Roger Legris

Pepe le Moko (Jean Gabin) is a well-known criminal mastermind who eludes the French police by hiding in the Casbah section of Algiers. He knows he is safe in this labyrinthine netherworld, where he is... read more read more... surrounded by his fellow thieves and cutthroats. Police inspector Slimane (Lucas Gridoux), who has developed a grudging respect for Pepe, bides his time, waiting for Pepe to try to leave the Casbah. When Gaby Gould (Mirielle Balin), a Parisian tourist, falls in love with Pepe, the inspector hopes to use this relationship to his advantage. He tells Gaby that Pepe has been killed, knowing that the heartbroken girl will return to Paris -- and that Pepe will risk everything to go after her. The French Pepe le Moko was remade in the US as Algiers, which followed the original so slavishly (except for changing its ending) that the American producers were able to utilize generous amounts of stock footage from the French film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

82% liked it

2,269 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

29 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Julien Duvivier

Release Date: January 28, 1937

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DVD Release Date: January 7, 2003

Stats: 117 reviews

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Lucas Gridoux et Jean Gabin Mireille Balin and Jean Gabin Pépé le Moko Poster Pépé le Moko Pépé le Moko Pépé le Moko Line Noro and Jean Gabin Poster Poster Pépé le Moko Poster Pépé le Moko Pépé le Moko Poster Pépé le Moko Mireille Balin and Jean Gabin Jean Gabin et Mireille Balin
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Flixster Reviews (117)

  • brooklynspo
    January 17, 2008
    brooklynspo
    Jean Gabin rules. Almost everyone else in this movie is a "type" while Gabin feels like a human being. I'm sure that's largely by design but it is also a testament to Gabin's unique talent as a screen actor.
  • ajv2688
    September 15, 2010
    ajv2688
    Okay foreign movie, but I should really watch it again before I write more about it.
  • rubystevens
    October 12, 2009
    rubystevens
    atmospheric and cynical proto-noir with an iconic performance by jean gabin as the tragic antihero trapped by his illusions. just a few years later, hollywood would remake this almost shot for shot as algiers with charles boyer, changing only the ending. fools. btw this was r... read moreeleased in 1936, not 1941 as flixster would have us believe
  • tsigur
    November 8, 2008
    tsigur
    I love Jean Gabin. I think he was way ahead of his time as far as acting. This is an interesting film that you could tell had a strong effect on some films that I really love. The camera work and atmosphere were great and it's a nice anti hero story which was cool to see. There a... read morere some parts that bother me, but I am starting to think that the things that bother me in films like this are petty and maybe I just need to enjoy them for what they are.
  • kenstachnik
    December 1, 2007
    kenstachnik
    Great character driven tragedy about master criminal Pepe Le Moko!

    A great performance by Gabin that defines tough guy nihilism. One of films original badass anti-heroes
  • fb1142797643
    May 2, 2012
    fb1142797643
    I should confess something up front: I'm not much of a "Casablanca" fan. For me, it's just a solid B-movie which happens to have two legendary actors and an unusual number of quotable lines.

    Released five years before "Casablanca," "Pépé le Moko" obviously influenc... read moreed its more famous successor. For starters, we get an exotic, North African setting (Algeria, in this case) which might as well be credited as a co-star. There's also an anti-hero, a doomed romance, a notable piano scene, a colorful batch of side characters and, yes, plenty of fezzes. So, three cheers for "Pépé"'s spot in an important cinematic timeline. But this is a foreign movie for people who don't like foreign movies. It may be French, but the filmmaking scans as old Hollywood.

    Jean Gabin is Pépé, a master bank robber who's hiding out in the seaside Casbah district. Described onscreen as a "teeming maze," it's a fantastic collection of sets. The homes are chaotically crammed together such that the sky is barely visible, and there doesn't seem to be a pair of perpendicular streets anywhere (or a level surface larger than a bedroom). An opening police briefing serves as a wonderful introduction to the territory, but the plot soon zeroes in on Pépé. He hardly does anything worse than raise his voice during the film, but we're assured that he's a ruthless criminal with a long list of spectacular thefts.

    He has a diverse entourage who jockeys for his attention, but most crucial among them are young Pierrot, tough guy Carlos, clumsy informant Regis, embedded cop Slimane (a friendly adversary) and a gypsy girlfriend named Inès. Pépé is a free man, but he's virtually imprisoned anyway. The Casbah is too volatile an area for the police to successfully raid and, much to his frustration, he knows that the only way to avoid arrest is to never leave.

    His shaky situation comes to a boil when he meets Gaby, a classy temptress with eyebrows like insect feelers. They have little common ground beyond a fondness for Paris but, naturally, they fall in love in an instant. Because this is a movie. Pépé begins sneaking away from Inès to pursue his true desire, but we realize that following his heart will only lead to a fatal mistake.

    Gabin and the claustrophobic snarl of the Casbah are what's most memorable about "Pépé le Moko." The versatile Gabin even croons an unexpected song (seemingly a pattern in '30s French movies). Another musical vignette features an aging gypsy wistfully singing along with a scratchy record she made during her prime -- it's perhaps the most touching scene.

    Call it an early film noir, a top example of French Poetic Realism or simply a romantic gangster picture. It's exceptionally well-made but, personally, I found myself longing for the more distinctive quirks of Jean Vigo or René Clair.
  • HuskersNC949597
    July 6, 2009
    HuskersNC949597
    I know it doesn't help the narrative, but come on Tania, Pepe himself says you should dump him. Dumb ho.
  • wilmothoudini
    March 5, 2009
    wilmothoudini
    I've seen this a few times over the years, but recently I kept catching this on TV and would get stuck watching it to the end (at least twice). So atmospheric and such a great ending.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
April 27, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

Interesting movement holds through the entirety. Life in the native quarter, with its squalor and intrigues, is particularly well presented and photographed. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
August 16, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The French original has it all over on the Hollywood version in the way it conveys atmosphere. Full Review

Ty Burr
August 9, 2002
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Pepe le Moko, made in 1937, begins with that tinny, swooning French soundtrack music that conjures up European movies before the war, but it isn't until a few minutes later that you realize you're in ... Full Review

Michael Wilmington
June 27, 2002
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

A timeless romantic thriller that steeps us in one of those great artificial movie worlds that become more overpowering than reality itself. Full Review

Gary Dowell
May 23, 2002
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

Mr. Gabin was no stranger to playing doomed men on film, and his Pépé is the grandest of the damned. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
April 19, 2002
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Beautifully crafted, movingly acted, still involving and entertaining, this is just the kind of film people are talking about when they say they don't make them like this anymore.

Andrew Sarris
March 13, 2002
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

If you've never seen the film, you may be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected complexity of the intrigues and the lyrical force of the feelings.

John Anderson
March 1, 2002
John Anderson, Newsday

A milestone of prewar French cinema and fun picture under any circumstances. Full Review

Elvis Mitchell
February 28, 2002
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

One of the most purely enjoyable films ever made. Full Review

J. Hoberman
February 26, 2002
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

One of the great international hits of classic French cinema. Full Review

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