Product Details

• Actors: Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Annabella Sciorra, Isabella Rossellini, Vincent Gallo
• Directors: Abel Ferrara
• Writers: Nicholas St. John
• Producers: Annabella Sciorra, Jay Cannold, Margot Lulick, Mary Kane, Michael Chambers
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Italian
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Evergreen Ent
• VHS Release Date: July 14, 1998
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304422679
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,210 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In this period family drama set in the Depression-era world of organized crime, director Abel Ferrara (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant) weaves a dark and impressive morality tale of revenge and family loyalty. Christopher Walken plays Ray Tempio, a low-level mobster who with his unstable younger brother Chez (played by Chris Penn) plots revenge for a rival mob's assassination of their younger brother. As they contend with their families--Ray's wife, Jeanette (Annabella Sciorra), who pleads with Ray to forego avenging his brother's death, and Clara (Isabella Rossellini), who has to cope with the unraveling and increasingly paranoid Chez--the struggle between family loyalty and the insatiable drive of revenge leads to tragic consequences. This is a raw, stark, and affecting film with fine ensemble acting and powerful direction from one of the independent film world's most original voices. --Robert Lane

Product Description

Academy Award®-winner Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction, Batman Returns), Chris Penn (Mulholland Falls) and Isabella Rossellini (Death Becomes Her, Don Quijote) star in this critically acclaimed tour de force of underworld betrayal and explosive retribution from celebrated director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant). In the 1930s, a powerful New York crime family is caught in lethal crossfire between union organizers and brutal corporate bosses. Against this turbulent backdrop, the family's three street-hardened brothers and the women they love are about to be plunged into a deadly confrontation with their enemies, with each other, and with their own dark heritage of violence, madness and murder. Ignited by the unforgettable performances of its brilliant ensemble cast, The Funeral is a provocative, unflinching crime-action thriller The New York Times applauds as, "Hot-blooded, broodingly well-acted!"

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Once you pull the trigger you can't turn back!", June 14, 2007

By 

KerrLines ""Movies,Music,Theatre"" (Baltimore,MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Funeral (DVD)

This film is not THE GODFATHER; it is not MYSTIC RIVER; it is not GOODFELLAS; it is not THE DEPARTED. This is THE FUNERAL!!! I simply will not lump this film into a category that defines this as another "gangster movie."

Director Abel Ferrara (BAD LIEUTENANTS) has crafted a tense and unflinching psychological look at three Italian brothers in the politically/crime charged 1930's who have been scarred by the violence into which they have been plummeted from their earliest childhood. The film carefully examines the deep contradictions of religion, family,morality and fidelity that combat the souls of those who "inherit" the criminal world as their family legacy. Unlike so many "Italian gangster movies", THE FUNERAL has incredible heart and soul. These characters are "trapped" in a world that causes such vaccilation of emotion that no matter how they might try to change they simply cannot.

Yes..this film is full of bloody violence, sex and explosive rage, but Abel Ferrara asks us to understand WHY these brothers and their companions act the way they do.Ferrara wants us to examine these men and their women who fall for and fear them. We are also forced to examine the continued place that Roman Catholicism and it's teachings had as a foundation for life and thought of these people.

As a rule, I simply do not care for mob/violent films. I must say,though, that THE FUNERAL is completely unique. The script is intelligent in that instead of senseless and gratuitous violence, we are asked to think about the causes, motivations and devastating consequences of violence when it is passed down from generation to generation.

One special note about the acting: CHRIS PENN is downright frightening as middle brother Chez.

The ending was a positive shocker!!!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, but only a few will understand it., June 9, 2006

By 

Alfonso Garcia "Independent film fan" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Funeral (DVD)

Well its not your typical mob film, it does not contain alot of tough guy bravado, nor does it have that element of comedy most mob films have, No its a realistic modern morality tale from the brilliant and underrated Director Abel Ferra. Here just like Bad lieutenant and King of New York he displays a hard crime story with religious morality thrown in for good measure,its really sad that this brilliant trilogy of films will never get the credit there due since lets face these excellent movies ( The Funeral my favorite) are the type of films mainstream society just cannot accept, why? because no one cares about originality anymore they want all flash and no substance overrated actors and actresses who could not act to save there lives, and pathetic remakes. Is that a fair assesment of all people in todays modern day society? perhaps but there is still a strong minority who demand something more from films, the basics of originality, a good plot, and actors and actresses who give a damm. Plain and simple Abel Ferrera and his films are a blessing in todays world since there is to much crap that is in todays theaters, and while there are his critics about him and his complicated films lets just say they should look closer at Abel Ferreras works of art and this brilliant crime trilogy of King of New York, Bad Liutenant, and The Funeral, should be viewed by all and if you don't understand or somehow are bored LOOK CLOSER.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good film, June 19, 2008

By 

Daniel R. Donofrio - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Funeral (DVD)

It is a very good movie. I really enjoyed the way the story was told. The casting was also very well done. Walken, Penn, Del Toro all played great roles.

If you enjoy movies like Miller's Crossing, or other low key organized crime films, you will enjoy the funeral.