Best movie of this year hands down!

Too much of everything

Such a frustrating disappointment

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Gangster film from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The story is formulaic and the make-up of the characters is nothing new; stereotypes everywhere you look. But it takes place in Africa's third largest city, Kinshasa, which makes this a peculiar film already. Thugs steal gasoline, thugs try to steal it back. No moral compass whatsoever. You're forced to cheer for a bad guy because there are no good guys. There's plenty of sex which takes away from building a little more depth into the film but fast sex in such a bleak world is part of life in that country. Everything's all about the now and how to survive this life which has been dealt to these people. Some decent performances here and one supremely evil villain made me want to see how it all unfolds in the end. Filmmaking in such lands is not common so that makes this a curiosity to be sure. Not outstanding by any means but definitely worth a watch.6.1 / 10 stars--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

I've heard people criticize this movie for not showing "a true picture" of the DR Congo, but please, as if any Hollywood action ever gave a realistic picture of USA?Viva Riva is a funny and action filled movie, it is not your average sad deep heart wrenching story about poor Africans, but a movie that was created purely for your entertainment. It just happen to be so that this gangster movie is set in the DRC. It is a gangster thriller filled with humour at its best with an African flavor to it which makes it a nice breath of fresh air. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end and I look forward to seeing more movies by Djo Munga in the future.

Viva Riva works best as a film that will fill your eyes and I mean that in the best sense. The film looks really good from the costumes of the nattily dressed gangsters that Riva is trying to rip off to the complete flashiness of the art deco of the nightclubs that these guys rule over--the film is dripping with style. I should add that the movie is also dripping with violence also as the movie has quite a bit of violence even towards women in it throughout. Its not a film that spares someone from a beating just because she's a she.The movie's narrative on the other hand is pretty classic. Small time hustler and thief returns to hometown and promptly falls for gangster's girl. Gangster notices and gets upset. Meanwhile the thief is being tracked down and targeted for revenge by the guys he stole from...and those guys are not playing around, they're way more dangerous then the flashy gangster. Film works really well to a point. That point would be the last twenty or so minutes (maybe even ten minutes) where the plot threads that have been forming the whole time finally come together but they don't exactly merge the way you'd like them to. I don't know if it works exactly but i enjoyed it more or less even if its not a plot you haven't already seen in many a film before.Film is worth checking out tho if you're a fan of hard boiled crime stories or classic gangster cinema (by which i mean movies where the dames talk tougher then the anti heroes) Film does end kind of abruptly--there;s a big shootout (of course) but what happens at the end should've been made either more explicit or more final. Its interesting that i saw this not long before i saw "submarine" because while the two films have absolutely nothing in common--they both sort of suffer in comparison to other films in their genre but are both so so pretty to watch on their own that they almost make up for it in set design alone.

I caught a small screening of this film and couldn't take my eyes from the screen until the final credits rolled. A 'neighborhood kid' returning to his hometown brings some baggage back with him. Filmed on location in Kinshasa, this film makes you say 'Did they really just do that?' over and over. Riva may not be the best guy, but his attitude about life makes me respect him. Overall, I would call it a gangster flick set in the Congo with greed, corrupt government officials, and a dash of romance. You can also expect the usual twisting plot with plenty of action, sex, and alcohol. Nothing is left to the imagination. If it happens in the story, you get to see it.. all of it.