Viva Riva!

Sex, money and violence – the Congo way. If you take Guy Ritchie's Snatch (2000), spice it with more eroticism and drum rhythms, and set the action Congo, you will get something like Viva Riva!. In this gangster thriller, the grinning anti-hero Riva gets hold of tons of fuel barrels in a Kinshasa short on petrol supply. He is hunted down by many savages because the barrels are stolen from Africa's version of Scarface, but also because he has run off with the local gangster's chick. Even the female characters are rougher, tougher and more distinctive than what is usual in European and American gangster movies. Through the still existing comic dimension of the film, director Wa Munga shows that he manages to play on several strings. imh