The Funeral

The film opens with Johnny Tempio's funeral as his brothers mourn. Chez and Ray share a quiet, strained grief that underscores their different temperaments. The ceremony hints at the violence that will soon erupt from this family tragedy.

Flashbacks reveal Johnny's more-sensitive nature, contrasting with his brothers’ brutality. We learn that his opinions were shaped by exposure to communist meetings, hinting at a political dimension to the family feud. The memories foreshadow the conflict that will drive the revenge plot.

Gaspare Spoglia is named as the chief suspect in Johnny's murder, intensifying the gang rivalries. The Tempio brothers vow to confront him, merging personal vengeance with criminal allegiance. Investigators begin piecing together clues to support the accusation.

Ray and Chez vow revenge, committing to a plan that will pull the family deeper into violence. Their resolve strains relationships, particularly with their wives who fear the consequences. The decision marks a shift from mourning to calculated retaliation.

Ray’s wife Jeanette opposes the course of retribution and pleads for restraint. Her stance highlights the moral cost of the brothers’ pursuit of vengeance. The conflict at home foreshadows the personal fallout of their actions.

Clara, Chez's wife, struggles with her husband’s obsessive fixation and the threat it poses to their marriage. She senses that revenge will consume him and threaten their future. Her turmoil adds a personal dimension to the impending violence.

Ray abducts Gaspare for interrogation, and they travel to Johnny’s body to press him for answers. Gaspare insists he’s innocent and even notes that gangsters are superstitious, but Ray remains convinced the killer will reveal himself. Ray releases Gaspare but orders his men to kill him later, keeping a dangerous option on the table.

Ray’s men track a car to identify the man who actually killed Johnny. The confessed killer reveals a motive of personal revenge—Johnny had beaten him in front of his girlfriend. The revelation twists the case away from rivals and toward a more intimate vendetta.

Having secured the confession, Ray kills the man who claimed Johnny’s murder. The act satisfies a need for immediate justice and solidifies the family’s drift into extra-legal violence. The killing reinforces the moral decay that will follow.

As the killer is buried, Chez reflects on his brothers’ lives and the tragedy that followed. The burial scene underscores the consequences of their violence and the fragility of their loyalties. The weight of the past presses on him as he contemplates the cost of revenge.

Chez returns to Ray’s house and shoots Ray and his two bodyguards. The act marks a brutal turn in the feud and detonates the family’s internal collapse. With Ray dead, the brothers’ cycle of violence seems assured.

Chez then shoots Johnny, who lies in his casket, sealing the tragedy of the Tempio family. The desecration of a burial scene epitomizes the depths of the brothers’ corruption. The act radiates outward, tearing any remaining ties apart.

After these killings, Chez puts the gun in his mouth and takes his own life. The suicide closes the blood feud in a devastating personal tragedy. The family’s wail over Ray’s dying body underscores the cost of vengeance.

With the blood feud resolved and the patriarchs gone, the remaining family members mourn and confront the irreversible damage caused by the violence. The Tempio legacy lies broken, with no clear path to redemption. The ending leaves a haunting sense of loss and ruin.