Viva Riva

Viva Riva is sprinting from the opening shot and never slows down; it is a riot of color that revels in the utterly corrupt marketplace of Kinshasa that ensconces local criminals, military commandants, religious figures, and seemingly every innocent bystander in the city within a corrosive web that would be depressing if it weren't one of the most entertaining films of the year. Djo Munga crafts a film with a remarkable propulsive energy that shies from nothing - violence, sex, drugs, and self-destruction are not something shown with any apology. Kinshasa is one of the largest cities in Africa (over ten million) with one of the highest murder rates in the world (112 per 100,000). It is infested with powerful gangs, a large population of street children, and cheap guns at the root of a region that has been more or less at war since the mid-1990s with every surrounding nation contributing to a smouldering conflict. This is one place where a film with brutal violence and a high body count makes complete sense. Towards that end, one could see Munga's film as exploitation if it were not so well made.Rather, it captures a tone of brash honesty, avoiding any hand-wringing about its subject matter. This is a work about self-destructive people in one of the most dangerous urban centers on Earth, and their driving force is the internal need for security, wealth, and sex. Life is short in Kinshasa, and it behooves the young to take foolish risks; and who needs a secure future when the world is on fire anyway?Small time thief Riva (Patsha Bay Mukuna) steals truckloads of gas from an Angolan crime boss, and returns home to throw around some cash, put away liver-bending amounts of beer, and live like a bigshot. He is the man with the fuel, and in a fuel shortage that man owns the town. He hungers for Nora (Manie Malone), the enigmatic and dangerous trophy girl of local crime boss Azor. The charismatic Riva runs from the Angolans while pursuing Nora, who is an en fuego femme fatale. Graphic sex scenes, cruel violence, and an amoral crowd willing to sell out for any price creates a diseased melange that captivates for its lack of criticism. It is what it is, and defies the audience to pretend they would do differently in the same rotten place. On the battlefield where men compete for money, women compete for men, each compete for the spoils of love and war, caution can be as foolish as recklessness.Viva Riva amuses itself with the plasticity of societal roles. Riva is the most generous and identifiable, looking to enjoy what may be a brief time on top of the pile. Nora is more than willing to help push him off, and he even seems to enjoy the fall - so would anyone with a woman that lethal. His Angolan boss quotes scripture, struts like a pimp, and murders with ease; he substitutes for a nonexistent authority in this town, and makes all the rules. A commandant is an enforcing legal agent, but the Angolan corrupts her quickly, as the free market corrupts the government to do its will. The Church has an interest in the gas that Riva has secured, though it is less for fueling the saving of souls and more for increasing its power in the city. Men may pursue sex, but women call their own shots when it comes to partners - they are figures of power as often as men. The comic and tragic are welded together incongruously, just the way they should be.The soundtrack thumps with a driven urgency that neatly weaves clubs and streets as minor transitions. The cinematography creates a luminous picture of a city in utter decay, as if there is too much entertainment to be had to worry about the problems. Munga brings a bombastic craft that sweeps along the audience, cynic and idealist alike. All the while, there is a undercurrent of danger, as though all souls will fall sooner rather than later. To take on a crime boss is to flirt with a near-suicidal level of risk, although a life of menial labor scarcely seems preferable. Viva Riva pulsates with an uncommon energy that announces a new and important voice for African directors - Djo Munga will be one to watch.

Viva Riva is real and dynamic. This is not the Africa of the lions and giraffes. This is the Africa of a real place, real people and skullduggery of a universal kind. The male lead has confiscated someone's gas cache and now he has to get rid of it Of course there are complications.The love interest is the live in girlfriend of a local crime lord and a very nasty well tailored thug wants his gas cache back.It is action, music, sex and violence not on a Hollywood set but in a real place that shatters some of my preconceptions of Africa.Highly recommended thriller!

Not what I expected. But the short film "PAPY" is worth the price of the main feature. The short film is based on the true story of a man dealing with his status of being HIV positive. An unhappy beginning that leads to a happy ending. This is the type of movie that should have been seen at film festivals and nominated for best foreign short film. "PAPY" more than makes up for my disappointment in the feature film. Sometimes the bonus features are better than the main attraction. This is a good example.

The first half seemed like a competent, well done thriller with just a hint of the melodramatic. The second half of the film was full on a gangster fantasy in which every crazy event that made our protagonist look like a bad-ass (getting shot and fighting, wooing another gangster's girl and having her give up everything for him, etc) was shown in a rather campy fashion that I did not enjoy.

This is easily the best Neo Noir film in two or three decades. This is what a crime movie should be like, well written, wonderfully acted and amazingly directed. It certainly does not hurt that it is also one of the sexiest movies I've seen in many years.

Nice movie, nice picture, nice item, excellent seller. I bought this movie for my girl friend but until now, I didn't give her. I'm still watching it. I recommend every body to buy it. You can play it on your laptop and with any dvd player.

I found this movie in a top 10 list of African movies...said it was a must see. I didn't think this was a romance movie, often colloquially referred as to chick flick. It just didn't take me to the Congo at all. The opening showed a filthy street with pock marked walls, but the rest was just pretty darn innocuous. I thought this movie was going to take us into the underground of black market fuel and it ends up being about a guy who knows his way around women. I was expecting crime and grime...filthy streets and hardened people, but the actors seemed like normal people. The grungy and sooty characters in old Americans Westerns were more real than this bunch.

Man i need to save my money and travel to that Great continent.This movie was in & by a African,indenpendent hollywood quality.

The synopsis for this African tale says that Riva! is an `operator' and a man with `charm and ambition'. He actually come across as a sexist, seventies based, drug and sex addict, albeit with a bit of charm. That said Patsha Bay playing Riva! (I think you have to put an exclamation mark after his name - like on the cover) does an excellent job of making Riva! actually very real and personable, in a rounded way. He is an `operator' in the sense that he has been away in Angola making money in nefarious ways for a crime Lord. He has now returned with a load of cash and a lorry load of petroleum or gas. He wants to spend the cash on ostentatious conspicuous consumption in bars and brothels, as quickly as is humanly possible; and sell the gas to the highest bidder.Petrol is in short supply in all of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and especially so in Kinshasa. Corruption is rife and almost everybody seems to be involved in the sex industry. The place is just a dump so going for some recreational drugs and sex is probably seen as a good antidote to the whole thing. Meanwhile Riva! Spots Nora (Manie Malone) dancing at a night club, and is smitten by her good looks and lack of clothing. It is then that he finds she is the woman of another crime boss, Azor, who is a total brute (I can't say what I want as the sensors will pick it up). He is one of those cowardly bullies who gets others to do his dirty work and treats Nora as his personal chattel.We also have a lesbian army Commandante, who's sister has been kidnapped and she is forced to help Viva's old boss track him down. We also have the police who are corrupt, and the church who also are surprisingly corrupt. In the chase no prisoners are taken and the violence is frequent and nasty. The acting is all very good as is the direction and the whole thing holds together brilliantly. It is also one of those films that seems shorter than it is at just over an hour and a half, as the action is more or less constant. It has good sub titles and is in French and Lingala. This is a great film, which I really enjoyed, it is described as containing strong sexuality, graphic nudity, brutal violence, language and some drug use, so avoid if that would cause offence. Or if like me its right up your street then go for it! Sorry couldn't resist one last exclamation mark.

What a lovely story

Didn't have to wait long at all for the delivery. Great!The movie is so much better then the normal predictable American actions. Action, sex, a reliable story - all taking place in the big vibrant city of Kinshasa. Different, bloody and definitely not suited for children and soft persons! Can really recommend it.

Wow ! What a great film ! I caught it on TV at first and just knew I had to buy the DVD after missing bits while channel surfing.It really is like a Tarantinoesque film... the plot moves along with amazing twists and turns at every point...

Delivery was on time, DVD itself of pristine quality, film itself- a bit less than I have expected, based on other reviews, nothing to write home about.