THE BURIAL (AMAZON PRIME) (2023)

SYNOPSIS: Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Dubbed the “Giant Killer”, Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a flashy, charismatic lawyer who is known for his flawless record and taking down America’s well-known corporations. The Burial is a movie adaptation of one of his famous cases whereby a small-town Mississippi funeral home-owner, Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) successfully sued a Canadian conglomerate funeral company over a contract dispute.

The Burial unsurprisingly is a feel-good, David-taking-on-Goliath legal drama that owed much of its charm to its leading star, Jamie Foxx. Foxx is incredible and undisputedly, he makes sure all the courtroom drama is genuinely entertainingly so long he commands the screen. His comedic flair and dramatic beats are in top form and his chemistry with the perpetually grumpy looking Jones is pleasing to watch unlike the odd pairing of Jim Carrey’s The Riddler and Jones’ Two Face.

The supporting cast is also admirable with Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey) who plays the tough-as-nails counsel opponent of Gary, Bill Camp playing the despicable big-time businessman, Ray Loewen who plans to take over O’Keefe’s failing funeral homes instead of a straight-forward buyover and Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World Dominion) as an enthusiastic young lawyer who introduces Jeremiah to Gary in the first place.

Director and co-writer Maggie Betts known for her social consciousness delivers a movie that not only showcases a small-time business being nearly taken over by a larger corporation but venturing into the issue of race, slavery and the extent of how scary the greed of man can be. Apparently, the Loewen group owned by Ray resort to working with Black churches and association to “cheat” the lower income of more money despite buying prior funeral packages from them.

The Burial in short is that kind of predictable legal drama that captures your attention exceptionally well even though you know how exactly it’s going to end. For a case over a minor contract dispute, it only seems to get more interesting and compelling as more facts and happenings are dug out. We all know David is going take down Goliath in the end. However, you need to find out the process yourself. We can only assure you it’s going to be rewarding.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee