Sightlines · reception
How The Funeral was received
1996 · Abel Ferrara · The Funeral on Sightlines
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.
Did you know? Chris Penn won the Volpi Cup for Best Supporting Actor at the 1996 Venice Film Festival for his performance — one of the most prestigious prizes any actor in a Ferrara film has ever taken home.