Viva Riva!

A petrol shortage leads to desperate drama in this Congolese neo-noir set in Kinshasa. After unloading gallons of stolen black market fuel, Riva (Patsha Bay)—just returned from Angola—hits the town with old friend J.M. (Alex Herabo) and falls for haughty Nora (Manie Malone), the flame-haired moll of struggling gangster Azor (Diplome Amekindra). Although Nora isn't particularly nice to Riva, she does appear to be genuinely attracted to her new admirer, and when Riva retrieves something of value to her, she starts to take him more seriously, and the pair spend a night together, during which Nora cautions, “Money is like poison. At the end it kills you.” Riva's past catches up with him when suave Angolan kingpin César (Hoji Fortuna) and his brutal henchmen enter the Democratic Republic of Congo looking for his stolen gasoline. Clearly meaning business, César tortures a driver, shoots several cops, and blackmails a lesbian military commander (Marlene Longange) during his quest. Although women are treated very poorly by the men in director Djo Munga's Viva Riva!—which plays like a cross between The Harder They Come and Kill Bill—the film compensates with strong female characters. With its off-the-beaten-cinematic-path locations and surprising reversals, this gritty thriller is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the short film “PAPY” by director Djo Tunda Wa Munga (53 min.), an interview with Munga (8 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a slam-bang action foreign film.] (K. Fennessy)