The Funeral · reception & legacy
1996 · Abel Ferrara
How The Funeral has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
Barely a ripple in 1996 — it slipped out between bigger gangster pictures and got respectful-but-quiet reviews. Now it's routinely named the hidden peak of Ferrara's staggering 90s run, the one Ferrara-heads bring up to prove the streak went deeper than Bad Lieutenant.
What's debated
The perennial Ferrara-fan debate: is this actually his best film — better than King of New York, better than Bad Lieutenant — or just the most respectable one?
Its footprint
It lives mostly through Chris Penn's volcanic performance, which cinephiles rewatch and mourn — a career-best turn that's become the standard exhibit whenever anyone argues Penn was the underrated brother.
Where it stands
A cult object and card-carrying 'underrated Ferrara' pick — the deep-cut answer when Letterboxd lists ask for the best 90s gangster film nobody talks about.