Review of The Funeral (1996) by Julio S — 25 Oct 2011
The Tempio Brothers - Ray (Christopher Walken), Chez (Chris Penn), and Johnny (Vincent Gallo) work with the mob. Ray is the calm, cool, collective brother while Chez is much more volatile. Johnny is different than the two.
He seems to be less interested in the gangster life and more interested in socialism and change. When Johhny is murdered, his two brothers are both affected in a very dramatic way. The Funeral is Abel Ferrari's gangster family flick which examines the lives of these brothers, but also their wives and the nature of why they do what they do.
The film begins with Ray and Chez's families getting together to mourn the death of Johnny days before the actual funeral takes place. We get flash backs to establish the brothers and we learn that not only was Johnny a fledging communist but he was also sleeping with Gaspare, a major player who Chez has business with.
The most interesting aspect of the film for me is Abel Ferrara's interest in Catholicism as it relates to these men, who most would consider to be animals. One scene between Ray and his wife, Jean, is fantastic where Ray tells her "If I do something bad, itâ(TM)s because God didnâ(TM)t give me the grace to do something good.
" Its a theme that resonates throughout the film. Ferrara also spends time with the wives of these brothers, showing how tortured their lives are being in love with such men. It's really a well balanced ensemble piece that explores emotion and character to a degree which most gangster films never would.
The acting is solid all around, but Chris Penn really gives the performance of his career as the unstable Chez.
This review of The Funeral (1996) was written by Julio S on 25 Oct 2011.
The Funeral has generally received positive reviews.
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