Pépé le Moko
Pépé is a gangster from Marseille hiding from the police in the ancient labyrinth casbah of Algiers. Accustomed to a lush life in Paris, he hates the dark alleys where it seems there is nothing else to do but drink and play cards. This vanity will be his downfall, when he is lured from the no-go area into the colonial port side town.
File under film noir. Avant la lettre. There is a criminal posed as a hero, there are corrupt cops, an abundance of outcasts, a beautiful femme fatal, great acting and bad camera work and plenty of guns. Also, there are some great views from pre-war Algiers, the Casbah as well as the colonial town with a supporting role for the Hotel Aletti.
Lucky for me I could get hold of a region 2 dvd, distributed by Studio Canal. (There is a more luxurious edition distributed by Criterion, but this is only available in region 1, which is like putting a sticker on a book saying “you are only allowed to enjoy this artwork on your own continent”.)
