Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Memorable, crazy movie

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This dusty, low key, low budget gangster film manages to hold the attention for the most part despite being very derivative and rather dull.For a character piece it's fatally flawed. The acting is strictly from the shout-and-then-repeat-with-added-F-words school of Italian-American gangster performances and very quickly gets tiresome. In fact it appears that much of it has been improvised, with director Abel Ferrara seemingly content that if the actors shout enough, get suitably red-faced and spittly, and repeat the same question enough times they'll qualify as "intense." They don't.Chris Penn is the worst offender, turning in an awful performance that wants to be Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant but emerges more like Christopher Lloyd in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.Christopher Walken plays himself but even that seems to disinterest him unless he's being given the chance to indulge in some painful "I'm an ac-tor!" moments - best demonstrated in the scene where he cries and shouts at his brother's corpse - and it's left to Gretchen Mol and Isabella Rossellini to deliver the only decent performances.Considering the budget the period feel is quite good, there's some occasional gratuitous violence to keep things interesting, and the generally depressing mood of the whole piece is quite effective, but those are small compensations for having to sit through all that repetitive shouting and those horribly self-indulgent performances.

I am of the opinion that Abel Ferrara's movies have been steadily declining since "Ms45". Way too much symbolism, religious guilt, and boredom have invaded efforts like "The Funeral". Might as well add a good dose of confusion on top of everything else. This one drifts back and forth in time almost as randomly as a doodlebug puddles about on a pond. The cast is excellent, Walken, Del Toro, Penn, give it their all, but the script is so muddled the whole thing just sort of collapses into a void of smoke and mirrors. The ending especially is less than satisfying. I mean an innocent Del Toro is killed, only to end with a crazed Penn lighting up the family and then blowing his brains out? Who cares? I certainly didn't. - MERK

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.

Abel Ferrara ? Not a movie maker that will appeal to everyone . He`s best known for making DRILLER KILLER a movie far better than it`s given credit for and his only mainstream film is BODY SNATCHERS which is a rather unnecessary remake THE FUNERAL hints that it wants to be mainstream because everyone loves movies about gangsters don`t they ? , and there are a couple of well known actors in it too . Alas there`s an irritating aspect to the screenplay that wants to make certain characters leftists . Why do movies seem to be under the impression that gangsters have socialist ideals ? The British small budget production FACE had this as did the classic ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA . It`s often been said that the mafia are the most sucessful capitalist concept and I`m inclined to believe that There`s other audience unfriendly concepts to the movie , most of them being the fault of the director like graphic sex scenes , some serious violence especially at the downbeat conclusion , but the one scene that can`t fade from my mind is the scene where some of the male characters are watching a porn movie in a brothel . Young Johnny turns to the woman sitting beside him and they begin some serious french kissing . Did I mention this woman must be about 70 years old ? YUCK It`s hardly Ferrara`s best work and it`s probably recommended that potential audience members should familarise themselves with the director`s work before watching it Four out of ten