The Funeral 1996

The Funeral Trailer

The Funeral is a 1996 American crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Annabella Sciorra, Isabella Rossellini, Vincent Gallo, Benicio del Toro and Gretchen Mol.

The story concerns the funeral of one of three brothers in a family of gangsters that lived in New York in 1930s. It is a film that details the past of the brothers and their families through a series of flashbacks. The film is most notable for its shocking climax.

Chris Penn won the best supporting actor award at the 1996 Venice Film Festival for his performance.

Plot:

The film begins with the funeral of one of the three Tempio brothers. These men are violent criminals. Mourning the passage of their beloved brother Johnny are Chez and Ray. Ray is cold and calculating. Chez is hot tempered. Flashbacks show us that Johnny was more sensitive. Exposure to Communist meetings as a spy sway Johnny's opinions.

The chief suspect in Johnny's murder is rival gangster Gaspare Spoglia.

Ray and Chez swear revenge. Ray's wife, Jeanette, opposes the campaign of retribution and the violence it will bring, while Chez' wife, Clara, struggles to deal with her husband's obsessive nature.

As it turns out, Johnny was not murdered by rival gangsters, but by a man who first claimed Johnny had raped his girlfriend, but who later admits, just before Ray kills him, that he wanted revenge because Johnny had beaten him up in front of his girlfriend and friends.

As he buries the dead murderer, Chez reflects on his brothers' lives before the tragedy. He then returns to Ray's house and shoots Ray's bodyguards, shoots his dead brother Johnny lying in the casket, shoots Ray, and then puts the gun in his own mouth and commits suicide as the family women wail over Ray as he too dies.

[lisacalvert]

This is one of my favorite movies. As dark as it actor did an amazing job with their characters. Chris Penn was outstanding. Those of us who are from Italian decent....Abel Ferrara was spot on with the wake being 3 days in the home. That was how it was in the 30's. The body was brought to the house to lay in state while the family ate and grieved, and took turns sleeping.

[seishsmom]

Truly one of the best movies made without the proper recognition it deserved! Vincent Gallo and Chris Penn were fabulous.

[Shortmetrage]

Great movie, top perfomances from everyone, but Christopher Penn really stole the show.

[fergaoneill]

Rest in peace Chris Penn you were a class actor

[seishsmom]

This was a fabulous movie! So many great actors and acting! It needs to be on tv.

[rogerkincaid]

The last time Walken and Penn shared a movie they played father and son. They played brothers here.

[Sumumabitch]

Benicio didnt have enough scenes in this...but he was great.And Walkens best gangster role....

[RyanFeatherston]

Great movie, but needs a way better DVD release than the ones currently on the market. The most decent one so far, is the Canadian DVD from a company called Seville. In full screen, but the picture quality and sound are acceptable. I heard the now-discontinued Pioneer DVD, released at the beginning of this century, had the worst quality.

October Films released some good stuff during the 1990s.

[CarlosHernandez-rlwg]

This movie is great! Must watch. Great cast.

[hollyvelocitygrl]

! wish Chris Penn didn't die -Promising talent he was

[honeyowen]

SPOILER DON'T READ HIS DESCRIPTION IT TELLS THE WHOLE STORY INCLUDING THE ENDING

[blxxdbpsfoo]

i havent seen this movie since i was 10 and i still remember chris penn saying "I die without my brothers", then take his own life

[pamelamiller]

Great film. Very strange ending. Annabella beautiful an great actress

[WizardOfHumor]

whats the name of this trailer music starting @1:09?

[highland]

Having wakes in the home (as illustrated in this film) got to be too much, too much the old-fashioned way of doing things. The younger generation at the time (now in their 80's) was happy to see it go.

[audiofella]

this looks good, but the title? I bet this didnt do so well at the box office LOL

[Dejavuji]

I just saw the name of this movie on google...which says its a great movie of 90s...will watch it soon and the other movies are...
A Simple Plan
The Limey
Clockers
Night Falls On Manhattan
Laws of Gravity
Dead Presidents

[wayneshacklock]

Who is the young boy in the movie who shoots the black man in the alley on a chair?

[goodvibesallround]

@Sumumabitch78 He was better in King of New York 1990.

[mistyfalin]

Look darlin
There is an educated man
Now I really hate him