Pépé le Moko (1937)

100% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
82% of users liked it
(2,269 ratings)

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 surrounded by his fellow thieves and cutthroats. Police inspector Slimane (Lucas Gridoux), who has… More 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 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

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Julien Duvivier
Written By: Henri La Barthe
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Jan 28, 1937 Wide
On DVD: Jan 7, 2003
Studio: Criterion Collection

Critic Reviews

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.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The French original has it all over on the Hollywood version in the way it conveys atmosphere.
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 for something special.
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.
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.
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.
Melissa Anderson, Time Out
Film noir as we know (and love) it is just around the corner from here.
, Empire Magazine
Populated by fascinating characters and with a tough sensibility, this is pulp noir at its finest -- and way ahead of its time.
Jurgen Fauth, About.com
Dense with plot and intrigue, Pepe grabs and doesn't let go until the final image.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Director Julien Duvivier took the conventional mix of love and bullets and made it into dark poetry.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Captures the vibrancy of colonial Northern Africa with intimate sensual detail
Steven Snyder, Zertinet Movies
am most amazed at how well it has survived the test of time.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
the film that made consummate French actor Jean Gabin a star
Matt Langdon, Filmcritic.com
You have to like a movie that was the true inspiration to that famous animated skunk Pépé le Pew.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
It's not just an important film; it's also great entertainment, a compelling screen romance -- and one of the best places to see hunky Jean Gabin at the height of his career.
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A delicious ensemble piece.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

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.
AJ V

Okay foreign movie, but I should really watch it again before I write more about it.
Stella D

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… More
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 released in 1936, not 1941 as flixster would have us believe
Tim S

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… More
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 are 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.
Ken S

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
Eric B

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,"… More
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 influenced 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.