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VIVA RIVA!Movie Reviews
French language action drama about a small time hustler who, taking advantage of a gas shortage in Kinshasa, hijacks several gasoline trucks and goes on a spree with the money he makes while the original owner of the gas trucks tries to get even. Cast:Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna, Marlene LongangeDirector:Djo Tunda Wa MungaRelease Date:June 10, 2011DVD Release:September 27, 2011From:Music Box FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr 36 min
Viva Riva! played in key cities to good reviews. • Marc Mohan wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...a pulse-pounding action thriller, violent, sexy, and at times even quite funny..." • And Emanuel Levy wrote for Cinema 24/7, "Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga presents Kinshasa as a vibrant, lawless sprawl of shantytowns, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...slick, exciting, well-made... You might learn more about Congo from this film than in a documentary, and you'd probably have more fun."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 08/19/11
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Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...nastily effective, sociologically pungent... about a hedonistic, low-level operator with a truckload of stolen fuel to sell in corrupt, gas-starved Kinshasa."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 06/10/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD(cg) "...quick, brutal and luscious-looking.... The air of successful first-time-moviemaking, full of pungent, shrewdly observed details and locations, cannot be mistaken."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 454 words, 08/26/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...slick, exciting, well-made... You might learn more about Congo from this film than in a documentary, and you'd probably have more fun."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 08/19/11
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...the first film from the Democratic Republic of Congo to be distributed in the U.S.... too lazily indulges in shapeless genre excess."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 214 words, 06/08/11
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Writer/director Djo Tunda Wa Munga has a knack for great dialogue and knows how to keep the action moving fast.... feels so raw and urgent and real."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 08/05/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...nothing less than the Congolese 'Mean Streets,' oozing sexual heat and brute violence and powered by a locomotive's worth of raw kinetic energy."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 08/05/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...often clumsy and the implausible action gets out of hand; it seems newbie director Djo Tunda Wa Munga has been watching too much 'Scarface.' "(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 08/04/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...deploys stock characters... a dusting of exotic African local color and the sort of craftsmanship you see in superior student films."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 07/08/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Writer-director Djo Tunda Wa Munga deplores the corruption, gunplay, and oversexed misogyny plaguing his country - and he's going to show you..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 07/08/11
John Hartl, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Despite a nifty final twist and a willingness to dispense with a few taboos, it fails to establish a consistent rhythm."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 06/17/11
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a pulse-pounding action thriller, violent, sexy, and at times even quite funny, designed to please crowds of any nationality."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 06/10/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's a rare treat to follow these felonious entrepreneurs through the brothels, bars and bazaars of a former colonial outpost.... a raucous reply to the new world order."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 277 words, 07/22/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...the first film from the Democratic Republic of Congo to be distributed in the U.S.... too lazily indulges in shapeless genre excess."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 214 words, 06/08/11
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...lacks the depth and biting social commentary of the Brazilian street-crime classic, 'City of God.' Still, 'Riva's' a gritty get-down that'll hit you in the gut."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 07/07/11
Alison Willmore, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a stylish and (save for the NC-17 it'd certainly earn) multiplex-worthy crime drama from, of all unexpected places, the Democratic Republic of the Congo."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 06/09/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...often clumsy and the implausible action gets out of hand; it seems newbie director Djo Tunda Wa Munga has been watching too much 'Scarface.' "(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 08/04/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...nastily effective, sociologically pungent... about a hedonistic, low-level operator with a truckload of stolen fuel to sell in corrupt, gas-starved Kinshasa."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 06/10/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "A blast from start to finish... Revels in genre codes and is reminiscent of Tony Scott's mix of adrenaline and style... a sexy actioner..."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 263 words, 09/26/10
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...never runs out of gas.... director Djo Tunda wa Munga handles a large, uniformly spirited cast and busy plot with ease and technical sophistication."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 542 words, 02/11/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...nastily effective, sociologically pungent... about a hedonistic, low-level operator with a truckload of stolen fuel to sell in corrupt, gas-starved Kinshasa."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 06/10/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga presents Kinshasa as a vibrant, lawless sprawl of shantytowns, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 05/23/11
17.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Viva Riva!'s reviews are separated by an average 17.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Viva Riva! (23 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Viva Riva!'s reviews cover 22.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,588 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 330 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Viva Riva!'s reviews on average broke 14 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Viva Riva!'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Viva Riva! (23 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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