The Funeral feels like The Godfather directed by Ingmar Bergman. Christopher Walken's haunted eyes serve him well in the role of Ray, a Michael Corleone-like gangster who is in turmoil when he begins to realize that he is compelled to act in ways that undermine his own life. Chris Penn is frightening as the boorish, but charming Sonny Corleone-ish brother who slowly succumbs to violent psychosis. These two characters let Ferrara work out his philosophical musings as they grieve over the slain body of their younger brother Johnny, a Fredo-like figure who was not cut out for gangster life. Ferrara had balanced physical and emotional violence with philosophical angst before in Bad Lieutenant, Dangerous Game, and The Addiction, but this film is the most cerebral of the bunch. A truly sad movie, The Funeral will leave the viewer emotionally devastated.