The Funeral (1996)

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer (WGA):

Nicholas St. John (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

One family, one murder, too many lies.

Plot:

New York City, the 1930s. A powerful crime family is caught in a lethal crossfire between union organizers and brutal corporate bosses...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | 1930s | Violence | Bare Breasts | Anger

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Christopher Walken	...	Ray Tempio
Chris Penn	...	Chez Tempio
Annabella Sciorra	...	Jean
Isabella Rossellini	...	Clara Tempio
Vincent Gallo	...	Johnny
Benicio Del Toro	...	Gaspare
Gretchen Mol	...	Helen
John Ventimiglia	...	Sali
Paul Hipp	...	Ghouly
Victor Argo	...	Julius
Gian DiDonna	...	Ray Sr. (as Gian Di Donna)
Dmitri Prachenko	...	Sentieri (as Dmitry Prachenko)
Paul Perri	...	Young Ray
Gregory Perrelli	...	Young Chez
Joey Hannon	...	Middle Chez

MPAA:

Rated R for strong crude sex scenes, strong violence and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

C&P Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Johnny is dead in his coffin, but he flinches when someone brushes his eyebrows.

Quotes:

Jean: They're criminals, and there's absolutely nothing romantic about it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nel cuore della notte (2002)

Soundtrack:

Mr. Down Child

Bury Our Sins?

The Funeral is a dark and gritty story that plumbs the characters in a New York band of criminal brothers. It doesn't have the romantic sweep of a Godfather movie, nor the rawness of Scarface. But it does have great acting: the cold, sinister aloofness of the leader-brother(Christopher Walken); the raging insanity of the bartender-brother(Chris Penn); and, the cockiness of the younger communist-influenced brother. Annabella Scioria as the wife with a tortured psyche who "had two years of college", and Bennissio del Toro, as the suave and slick rival mobster round out the terrific cast.

But the movie does have some problems. The abrupt, "surprise" ending is consistent with the arcs in the movie, and is supported by trends in the characters' developments, but seems unsatisfying. Also, long philosophical conversations between killer and victims seems unrealistic. While these conversations(and flashback sequences) give insight into characters, it just doesn't seem likely.

Watch this movie if you are a fan of crime/Mafia films, and you can enjoy a thoughtful introspection of characters and relationships between characters. Don't watch it if you want to see a "thrill-a-minute", or explosions every other scene.