I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I purchased tickets to Viva Riva!, a gangster flick that takes place in the Congolese town of Kinshasa where gasoline is as good as gold. Thankfully my bet on this film paid off! It was kind of slow to start, but once it grabbed my attention it held on for dear life. The story begins with the main character, Riva, returning to his hometown after being away for many years. He brings with him a truckload of gasoline, which he says he “pulled off” from his former associate - a ruthless Angolan gangster named Cesar. Because of the gas shortage, Riva agrees with his partner to hold the gasoline and sell it at a later date when the price spikes. He is advanced a large amount of money to drink, party, and get women while he waits. It’s at this point that Cesar arrives in town and the search for Riva and the gasoline begins. In the middle of all of this Riva becomes entangled in a love triangle with a beautiful woman and her royally-descended boyfriend and the female commander of the local military is blackmailed into helping Cesar hunt down Riva. Amazingly, everything comes crashing together in an explosive conclusion!

Viva Riva! is not only an entertaining story that plays with the gangster genre, but it also provides a wonderfully insightful look into the struggles of this economically troubled Congolese town. There are some very human moments in this film where the characteristics of the people of Kinshasa can be seen - both the good and the bad - particularly during the interactions between Riva and his new love.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I purchased tickets to Viva Riva!, a gangster flick that takes place in the Congolese town of Kinshasa where gasoline is as good as gold. Thankfully my bet on this film paid off! It was kind of slow to start, but once it grabbed my attention it held on for dear life. The story begins with the main character, Riva, returning to his hometown after being away for many years. He brings with him a truckload of gasoline, which he says he “pulled off” from his former associate - a ruthless Angolan gangster named Cesar. Because of the gas shortage, Riva agrees with his partner to hold the gasoline and sell it at a later date when the price spikes. He is advanced a large amount of money to drink, party, and get women while he waits. It’s at this point that Cesar arrives in town and the search for Riva and the gasoline begins. In the middle of all of this Riva becomes entangled in a love triangle with a beautiful woman and her royally-descended boyfriend and the female commander of the local military is blackmailed into helping Cesar hunt down Riva. Amazingly, everything comes crashing together in an explosive conclusion!

Viva Riva! is not only an entertaining story that plays with the gangster genre, but it also provides a wonderfully insightful look into the struggles of this economically troubled Congolese town. There are some very human moments in this film where the characteristics of the people of Kinshasa can be seen - both the good and the bad - particularly during the interactions between Riva and his new love.