Plot questions

1.)The book that Buddy has is his "bible" of all the bad guys that he's after in his district. It's his way of keeping tabs on them.

2.) This is something I never did understand until recently.

First you must understand that the two kidnappers (Bo and Moon) are impersonating cops.

Second, the funeral in the movie is for Carmine Cotello's brother who is also the kidnapped Festa's partner.

Now remember earlier in the movie, when Max Kalish is kidnapped for ransom, 2 of Kalish's guy's (one named Bobby) take Max's car (a Lincoln with suicide rear doors) to the car wash with the payment in the trunk as instructed by the kidnappers. Bo and Moon, (the kidnappers) then handcuff the doors and then pry open the trunk and remove the ransom money.

Then when Carmine Cotello drives his Pontiac to the car wash during the funeral, it's supposed to be the same type of thing. Payment for Festa, (who is the latest kidnapped wise-guy who the Seven-Ups are watching for at the funeral), is supposed to be in the trunk of Carmine's Pontiac. Bo and Moon do not handcuff the doors and pry open the trunk because the car's door handles are different than those of Max's Lincoln.

When the mob guys found out Ansel is a cop at the Cotello funeral, (believing that Ansel was involved in the kidnappings) they decide to send him in the trunk of Carmine's car as a message instead of the ransom for Festa. Several victims of the kidnappers are named here in this scene.

Then at the car wash, Moon gets in the car with Carmine and forces him to drive into the garage where Ansel is shot by Bo with the shotgun, unwittingly, I might add, and later dies.

Bo and Moon are expecting ransom money in the trunk of Carmine's car, and before they open it, they realize something is up by the way Carmine is acting, so when he runs away, they shoot Carmine and then shoot the trunk of Carmine's car in the garage scene. Bo shoots the trunk of the car to open it, not knowing anyone is inside.

The last time I watched The Seven-Ups, I didn't understand this either, so I went back and listened to all the dialogue in those scenes to figure it out just recently.

This is a major flaw in the film IMO. It's not pointed out clearly for the audience as to what's going on exactly. The only real clue is the dialogue in the garage scene when Carmine Cotello says to Bo and Moon, "You know who I am?, I came to make a deal for Festa." But obviously things do not go as planned for anyone, Carmine, the kidnappers and especially Ansel and the Seven-Ups.

And then I also wonder why Carmine was the one to go with Ansel in the trunk. Why wouldn't he go on to the cemetery for his own brother's funeral? They could have sent someone else. Like Festa's son for example.