Viva Riva

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!

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.

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

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.

Enjoyed this excellent Congolese movie, the first of its kind online and for a very decent price! It was swift and effective. I will rent more movies like this one if Amazon.com offers them. Didier.

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.

Excellent film...action, politics, sex, passion...great storytelling

Brought as a gift

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...

Too much violence for my taste, not much kinshasa history in the movie or life in africa so i didn't like it.

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.

Its an interesting film, showing the daily living of the poor and criminals. A unique and shocking ending, which don't expect.