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The Funeral

Play trailer Poster for The Funeral R Released Nov 1, 1996 1h 38m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
At the funeral of murdered Johnny Tempio (Vincent Gallo), his brothers, Chez (Chris Penn) and Ray (Christopher Walken), begin plotting their revenge. Believing rival gangster Gaspare (Benicio del Toro) is responsible for Johnny's death, Chez and Ray set out to find and punish the thugs who killed him, despite the pleadings of their wives (Isabella Rossellini, Annabella Sciorra). As the two get to the bottom of the mystery, Ray must deal with an increasingly unstable Chez.
The Funeral

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Critics Consensus

Abel Ferrara reunites with Christopher Walken to forge another haunting gangster saga, delivering a bruising exploration of vengeance.

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Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy Variety Though directed in different style, thematically, this period movie is a companion piece to King of New York and The Bad Lieutenant, forming an urban crime trilogy and representing Ferrara's best work. Rated: 3/4 Jul 4, 2006 Full Review Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness A psychologically strung-out tale stuffed full of ideas and inspired moments. Rated: B May 29, 2006 Full Review Time Out A brilliant, very visceral piece of film-making with an infectious strain of morbid humour. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid The Funeral is yet another fresh take on the gangster flick. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 20, 2008 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Anticlimactic and unconvincing. Rated: D Apr 9, 2007 Full Review Josh Ralske All Movie Guide Rated: 3/5 Aug 5, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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jon c Three brothers; one led, one died, one followed It's 1939 New York City and three siblings of a gangster family are at a loss They start plotting payback It's believed that rival gangster Gaspare (Benicio Del Toro) is responsible for Johnny's death, Chez and Ray set out to find and punish the thugs who killed him, despite the pleadings of their wives As the two get to the bottom of the mystery, Ray must deal with an increasingly unstable Chez Much of the story unfolds through flashbacks This is a bruising exploration of vengeance and the actors are spot-on with good performances But it's only for big gangster-film enthusiasts The ending is very morbid too Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Does anybody else think Benicio Del Toro could be Brad Pitt's evil brother? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review delysid d just awful from beginning to end. one of the worst ever, sorry! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/16/21 Full Review Audience Member This film has an outstanding cast. Christopher Walken, Vincent Gallo, Chris Penn. Isabella Rossellini, Annabella Sciorra, Gretchen Mol, Benecio Del Toro, and an absolutely brilliant performance by the Late Chris Penn, who sadly never got his due respect. This guy could act!!! Definitely a must watch for any movie buff. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Chris Penn's acting is unforgettable in this film he should have won an academy award. Definitely Abel's best work. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Although it mostly feels like a minor crime film, featuring familiar themes and less than great direction, "The Funeral" has certain engaging moments and eventually takes a notable turn towards the dark that sets it apart from similar movies. The cast, which includes Christopher Walken and Benicio Del Toro, is pretty good, with Chris Penn standing out in a very powerful performance. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Funeral

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Cast & Crew

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Abel Ferrara

Director

Christopher Walken

Ray

Chris Penn

Chez

Vincent Gallo

Johnny

Benicio del Toro

Gaspare

Annabella Sciorra

Jean

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The Funeral

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Movie Info

Synopsis At the funeral of murdered Johnny Tempio (Vincent Gallo), his brothers, Chez (Chris Penn) and Ray (Christopher Walken), begin plotting their revenge. Believing rival gangster Gaspare (Benicio del Toro) is responsible for Johnny's death, Chez and Ray set out to find and punish the thugs who killed him, despite the pleadings of their wives (Isabella Rossellini, Annabella Sciorra). As the two get to the bottom of the mystery, Ray must deal with an increasingly unstable Chez.
Director
Abel Ferrara
Producer
Mary Kane
Screenwriter
Nicholas St. John
Distributor
October Films
Production Co
October Films, MDP Worldwide
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 1, 1996, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Aug 7, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.2M
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Surround