Pépé le Moko, one of France's most wanted criminals, hides out in the Casbah section of Algiers. He knows police will be waiting for him if he tries to leave the city. When Pépé meets Gaby, a gorgeous woman from Paris who is lost in the Casbah, he falls for her.
A timeless romantic thriller that steeps us in one of those great artificial movie worlds that become more overpowering than reality itself.
– Michael Wilmington,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jun 2002
fresh:
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.
– Ty Burr,
Boston Globe,
9 Aug 2002
fresh:
The French original has it all over on the Hollywood version in the way it conveys atmosphere.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Aug 2002
fresh:
Film noir as we know (and love) it is just around the corner from here.
– Melissa Anderson,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
fresh:
Interesting movement holds through the entirety. Life in the native quarter, with its squalor and intrigues, is particularly well presented and photographed.