New to stream on Amazon Prime Video from today – following a limited theatrical release last week – is the court room drama, The Burial. Directed by Maggie Betts and inspired by a true story, the movie stars Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx and Jurnee Smollett, and focuses on a lawsuit between a funeral director and a wealthy businessman.
In the movie, the year is 1995, and after Mississippi funeral home owner, Jeremiah O’Keefe runs into financial difficulties, which puts his business at risk, he agrees to sell three of his funeral homes to wealthy businessman, Ray Loewen. The deal is sealed with a handshake, followed by a promise by Ray to draw up contracts.
Fast forward a month, and with no contract signed, Jeremiah starts the process to sue Ray for failing to honour their deal. The longer Ray holds off from signing, the more detrimental it is to Ray and his financial situation, and without the deal he could lose his business.
But realising he will need some sizeable assistance to take on Ray’s legal team in a lawsuit, he hires personal injury lawyer, Willie E. Gary Esq to help him out. Willie is a smart-talking Florida lawyer, who has a reputation for winning cases, and Ray believes this could be the edge he needs.
The only problem is, Willie doesn’t want to take on the case. Willie only takes on personal injury cases, not contract law; he’s a black lawyer that only takes on black clients; and the overall value of the case isn’t worth his time.
However, when one of Jeremiah’s existing lawyers, Hal Dockins, convinces Willie the case has the potential to push for more money and increase his profile, he agrees. Willie then takes on the case, and raises the overall value of the lawsuit from $8 million to $100 million.
Courtroom dramas live or die on how interesting or dynamic they are. It doesn’t matter how fascinating the lawsuit is, if the film is presented as stuffy or pretentious, boredom sets in and the whole thing becomes a ball ache to watch.
Thankfully, The Burial isn’t a ball ache to watch, and this is largely due to some smart direction, as well as a strong central cast. Director Maggie Betts keeps things moving along quite swiftly, with a great deal of energy and short snappy scenes, while the casting of Foxx, Jones, and Smollett is the film’s trump card.
Foxx in particular is excellent in the role of slick lawyer, Willie E. Gary. He brings coolness and charisma to the part, and makes Willie someone you want in your corner.
His relationship with mild-mannered funeral home owner, Jeremiah (Jones), is fun to watch, as his relationship with opposing lawyer, Mame Downes (Smollett). Willie is the glue that connects up various characters, and Foxx plays the part note perfect.
He is brash when needs to be, but he’s also compassionate and considerate too. Foxx brings out a range of emotions in the character, ensuring he’s a fully rounded player throughout.
Outside of the cast, what makes The Burial a compelling film is the way the story takes a subject such as contract law and opens it up into something bigger. While the movie starts off about two businessmen in a dispute, it soon becomes far more interesting.
The Burial looks at race, exploitation, prejudices and integrity, and this plays a huge part in the story. The way in which courtroom decisions can change depending on the judge, the jury, the lead lawyer, etc also becomes a key focus of the drama and this gives the narrative an edge.
Contract laws are dull, yet this film isn’t dull. This is because it digs deeper and looks at wider issues than a simple signature on a piece of paper.
The Burial is a smart, robust picture, which dials into the human side of a legal drama. It benefits from great casting, but the direction is solid and the story is all there.
From the opening argument, through to the final decision, there’s enough material to get invested in. Foxx is the big draw, but overall The Burial is good stuff and certainly worth a watch.
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