Pepe Le Moko Details

An unmissable French classic, a little bit frayed at the edges but still possessing irresistible Gallic glamour as Jean Gabin's fugitive from justice hangs out in the Algiers Casbah and is only tempted out of his hideaway by romantic love. Photographed like a thriller, with lots of shadows, the film is dominated by Gabin's superb portrayal of the self-sufficient loner — just one look at his sad face, and you know he's haunted by his past and doomed to life as an exile (or worse). A huge hit in France, Pépé le Moko was influenced by Howard Hawks's gangster classic Scarface (1932) and itself influenced a whole range of Hollywood movies, notably Algiers (1938) which was a remake of sorts, and, most famous of all, Casablanca (1942).