The Funeral (1996)

That was an excellent one.

Good movie but grossly overrated

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Ain't nothing divides the good folk who write a review for IMDb like a good film. And the better the film, the more extreme their views are. The Funeral is described by some who, like me, enjoy adding their two ha'porth worth to the User Review pages as 'a waste of time', 'pointless' and 'abysmal'. Don't believe a word of it. Abel Ferrara might not have the technical skills of Spielberg or his fellow New York director Scorsese, but what he does almost peerlessly is to get brilliant performances from his players who obviously relish the screenplays he and his scriptwriter conjure up for them. There is something almost magical about the films this guy comes up with, and The Funeral is a sparkling example. Set in Depression-era America, it tells a simple tale of death and revenge. But there is so much more to it than that. It is not an 'action film', which some believe Mafia drama should be, but a superb character study in the lives of three brothers. One of them is bright, though ruthless, one insane and ruthless, and the third subscribes to Communist ideas but is equally ruthless. None is nice. Their wives suffer badly. But the 'story' is only the half of it. What is outstanding is how Ferrara builds a world out of nothing. This is low-budget stuff - the sound quality is at times a little dicky - but what that tells you is that you don't need big bucks to make great films. In fact, considering some of the dreck which is churned out on multi-million dollar budgets, there might even be a rule that the bigger the budget, the more likely the film will be a clunker. The Funeral is in the same stable of The Conversation: it misses popular acclaim by a country mile but that is because your average flick viewer wouldn't know class from an empty tub of popcorn. The Funeral is the real deal if you like films. But don't take my word for how good it is, watch it and see for yourself.

From what little I've watched of Ferrara's work up till now - 6 films including the one under review - this emerges as easily the most substantial (I liked his BODY SNATCHERS [1993] but have always deemed it an unnecessary update).It's generally compelling and filled with typically intense performances - Christopher Walken and Annabella Sciorra from Ferrara's THE ADDICTION (1995), Chris Penn, Vincent Gallo and Benicio Del Toro (though some of the over-the-top histrionics, usually involving Penn's bad-tempered character, do raise the occasional unintended chuckle). The plot, adopting a flashback structure which leads up to the titular occasion, deals with the director's favorite themes - honor, faith, violence - and, as such draws parallels with the gangster films of Coppola, Scorsese and even Tarantino.On the strength of this, I rented two more Ferrara titles - FEAR CITY (1984) and KING OF NEW YORK (1990; again, with Walken) - to go along with BAD LIEUTENANT (1992; which I just recorded off late-night Italian TV, where it was presented in the original language); the latter two, in particular, are films that I've been meaning to check out for years (I just hope it'll be worth it).By the way, though I rented THE FUNERAL from my local DVD outlet as part of a 2-Disc Set with THE ADDICTION, I was actually the one to have brought it over to him from London!

The Funeral is about gangsters Christopher Walken and Chris Penn burying their younger brother, on the evening of his wake (before his funeral) through flashbacks we see their brother and his involvement with crime and criminals. He is having an affair with Benicio Del Torro's wife and so Del Torro is placed in the frame for his murder, as the movie gradually ends, Chris Penn shoots his brothers and the people that work for him.Apart from two good performances from Walken and Penn, this movie lacks character detail, plot and lacks contemporary quality of the 1930's. There is unconvincing atmosphere between the characters and it is just disappointing.The highlight of the movie comes from Christopher Walken who whips out some good sayings and seeks his revenge.I got this film on a three DVD box set with Road to Perdition and Miller's Crossing. I'd already seen Miller's Crossing. I don't think it can be classed in the way that Miller's Crossing can.Its worth watching but I doubt anyone will watch it for a second time.PEACE.

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.