Casbah 1948

Pépé le Moko [Tony Martin] leads a gang of jewel thieves in the Casbah district of Algiers, where he has exiled himself to escape imprisonment in his native France. Inez [Yvonne De Carlo], his girlfriend, is infuriated when Pépé flirts with Gaby [Märta Torén], a French tourist who is visiting the area aboard a yacht with friends and a wealthy suitor, but Pépé tells Inez to mind her own business, that he will never forget her but he is leaving.

Detective Slimane [Peter Lorre] is trying to lure Pépé out of the Casbah so that he can be jailed. Against Slimane’s advice, Police Chief Louvain [Thomas Gomez] captures Pépé in a dragnet, but his followers free him. Inez realizes that Pépé has fallen in love with Gaby and intends to follow her to Europe, Slimane also realises this, and sees an opportunity to catch a fleeing Pépé.

One evening Pépé decides to escape, aided by his side-kick Carlo [Douglas Dick], until Inez informs him that Gaby is still nearby. Pépé rushes to find Gaby, sings, and they arrange to meet the next evening to leave together for Paris. Back on the yacht, Gaby is still unsure, but her current boyfriend’s mocking of her inability to live without his financing makes her determined.

Pépé is upset when Gaby does not show, but realises Carlo is also working for Slimane. Carlo admits that Gaby was duped into believing Pépé had been killed, and is not at the hotel—where Slimane had planned an ambush—but at the airport, leaving. Pépé confidently strides out, leaving the safety of the Casbah, and manages to get past the boarding staff; we see an unaware Gaby at the aeroplane window and Pépé is about to board, until someone off-camera offers a light for his cigarette, and by his expression it’s apparent Pépé has been caught.

Inez is present, saying the Police made her co-operate; she screams as Pépé recklessly decides to run to Gaby, and is shot. Pépé sits slumped against Slimane, saying that Slimane has won, and Slimane coolly acknowledges that he knew he would.