The Funeral (1996 film)

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The Funeral
The movie poster.
Directed by	Abel Ferrara
Produced by	Mary Kane
Written by	Nicholas St. John
Starring	Christopher Walken Chris Penn Annabella Sciorra Isabella Rossellini Vincent Gallo Benicio Del Toro
Music by	Joe Delia
Cinematography	Ken Kelsch
Editing by	Mayin Lo Jim Mol Bill Pankow
Distributed by	October Films
Release date(s)	August 28, 1996 November 1, 1996
Running time	99 min.
Country	US
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

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 1950. It is a slow-paced film that details the past of the brothers and their families through a series of flashbacks. The film is most notable for the surprise ending.

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

[edit] Plot

Johnny, a brother in the Tempio crime family, is murdered by rival gangster Gaspare. Comparied to his brothers, the cold, calculating Ray and the hot-tempered Chez, Johnny was more sensitive, and was interested in socialism through his work with the labor unions.

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.

[edit] Cast

• Christopher Walken as Raimundo "Ray" Tempio
• Chris Penn as Cesarino "Chez" Tempio
• Annabella Sciorra as Jean
• Isabella Rossellini as Clara Tempio
• Vincent Gallo as Giovanni "Johnny" Tempio
• Benicio Del Toro as Gaspare LoScialpo
• Gretchen Mol as Helen
• John Ventimiglia as Sali

[edit] External links

• The Funeral at the Internet Movie Database
• The Funeral at All Movie Guide
• The Funeral at Rotten Tomatoes