In the end, this extremely dark and voyeuristic journey was something I'd never seen before, and I absolutely dug it.

| Mar 24, 2021

Viva Riva! is the directorial debut of Djo Munga, and this clever caper makes him a man to watch.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 8, 2019

It's brilliant to see a movie where the script is as smart as the staging, and where the staging doesn't just make you wonder how much it has cost. And it's so much fun to see a movie that takes its perfect setup and perfectly delivers.

| Aug 9, 2018

What more can you ask from a gangster thriller than kinky sex, extreme violence, comical playfulness and soulful music?

| Original Score: B+ | Jun 10, 2016

One of the most vivid, ambitious cinematic offerings of 2011.

| Jun 6, 2016

Pulpy flourishes lend it the crude spirit of a Warner Brothers gangster picture from the 1930s, albeit one with an unexpectedly carnal edge.

Full Review | May 3, 2015

Meet Riva (the spectacular Patsha Bay), a man who thrives on scarcity: he smuggles gas, and has recently come upon a mother lode-which becomes, of course, a powder keg.

| Nov 7, 2013

The alien environment makes Viva Riva! a fascinating watch.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 5, 2012

The film looks and feels like another Pulp Fiction clone at times, but what emerges is a far more thoughtful work that makes important (and surprisingly) salient points about the humanistic struggles of developing countries.

| Oct 17, 2011

Both exotic and engaging, with an earthy edge. But it also has a sophisticated side

| Oct 1, 2011

Worth checking out just based on the rarity of a movie with an empathetic black protagonist even being made about the Congo. The un-Tarzan!

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 24, 2011

A slick, exciting, well-made crime thriller, dripping with atmosphere.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 18, 2011

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 12, 2011

What Munga has to say in this feature directorial debut is delivered via a quick-paced, gritty crime story that is both entertaining and enlightening.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 5, 2011

A wild and seductive crime thriller, Viva Riva! is a promising early step for Congolese pulp cinema.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 5, 2011

It feels so raw and urgent and real.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 4, 2011

Antoine Roch's digital photography is one of the film's strong points-it takes you right into the action from the opening scene...

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 22, 2011

Pulsing with polyglot music and outlaw vigor, "Viva Riva!" is a raucous reply to the new world order.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 21, 2011

There's a ton of stuff going on in "Viva Riva!" but it's always willing to pause for a steamy sex scene.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 8, 2011

"Viva Riva!" has its cake and eats it, too. Shoots it to pieces, actually.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 7, 2011