Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- haunting
- bruising
- hot-blooded
- late night crime cinema
- serious film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Abel Ferrara's haunting and bruising gangster drama for its complex characters, impressive ensemble, and forceful exploration of vengeance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story begins with Johnny's coffin arriving at Ray's home and unfolds around the wake, conversations, and escalating family tensions.
Johnny's death, the wake, and the brothers' responses turn a revenge plot into an intense family melodrama.
The film is set in 1930s New York amid strikes, trade-union conflict, and Great Depression hardship.
Ray believes Gaspare murdered Johnny and pursues retaliation while Chez's breakdown intensifies the family's crisis.
Films like The Funeral, and why
Mean Streets
shared bruising gangster drama, revenge narrative, morally compromised family relationships, and intense performances
The Godfather
shared operatic crime melodrama, volatile male characters, familial loyalty, and tragic emotional intensity
King of New York
shared Abel Ferrara crime-film sensibility, urban brutality, Catholic-inflected guilt, and psychologically tormented characters
Miller's Crossing
shared period gangster setting, stylized violence, family conflict, and bleak examination of criminal power
Movie Details
- Director
- Abel Ferrara
- Release Date
- 1996-01-26
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (209)
Cast
- Christopher Walken
- Chris Penn
- Annabella Sciorra
- Isabella Rossellini
- Vincent Gallo
- Benicio del Toro
- Gretchen Mol
- John Ventimiglia
- Robert Miano
- Paul Hipp
Common questions
- What is The Funeral about?
- At a 1930s New York wake, a gangster family’s pursuit of revenge exposes grief, rage, and ruin beneath its rituals of loyalty.
- What is The Funeral like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Funeral as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Funeral violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Funeral as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Funeral?
- Critics broadly praised Abel Ferrara's haunting and bruising gangster drama for its complex characters, impressive ensemble, and forceful exploration of vengeance.
- Which films are like The Funeral?
- Films with a similar feel include Mean Streets, The Godfather, King of New York, and Miller's Crossing.
- How long is The Funeral?
- The Funeral runs 99 minutes.
