Pépé le Moko ([pe.pe lə mo.ko]) is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier starring Jean Gabin, based on a novel of the same name by Henri La Barthe and with sets by Jacques Krauss.

An example of the 1930s French movement known as poetic realism, it recounts the trapping of a gangster on the run in Algiers, who believes that he is safe from arrest in the Casbah.

Pépé le Moko (Jean Gabin) is a notorious thief who has been hiding in the labyrinthine Casbah for nearly two years.

Inspector Slimane (Lucas Gridoux) forms an unusual relationship with Pépé and vows to arrest him if he ever tries to leave.

However, Slimane intervenes and tells Gaby's fiancé that it is dangerous for her to visit the Casbah, hoping that Pepe will come looking for her if she doesn't show for their rendez-vous.

Dialogue was important to French filmmaking at the time Pépé le Moko was made because of the recent introduction of sound.

Jean Gabin was a skilled singer and there are multiple moments in the film when he sings songs that are relevant to his character and the story.

[1] Negative reviews of "Pépé le Moko" are fairly rare, with critics generally praising the film for its direction, performances, and themes.

Most critics and scholars mark the film to be a crucial and noteworthy work of early French cinema.

However, as with most works of art, there are differing opinions and interpretations, with some viewers and critics not responding to the film as positively as others.