The Burial Review
Streaming movie review - Prime Video - biopic/courtroom drama
Courtroom drama has a tendency to catch people’s attention. There are Biblical stories of public trials, the well-documented and attended witch trials, through the televised trial of OJ Simpson. People like to see what is happening in our justice system. Because film is a reflection of life, movies taking place in the courtroom also have a prime place in our storytelling. Whether fictional or based on a true story, these films have been part of the story for a long time. One of the most recent in this genre is “The Burial” from Maggie Betts, currently streaming on Prime Video.
When Jerry O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) finds himself in a financial bind, he decides that he will sell some of his funeral homes to Ray Lowen (Bill Camp), owner of the Lowen Group, a company that has a national funeral home business. When Jerry and his lawyer Mike Allred (Alan Ruck) don’t get a contract from Lowen, they are concerned that Lowen is trying to wait until Jerry’s finances are so dire that he must sell all of his homes at a loss. When young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) looks at the case, he suggests that they bring in Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx), a personal injury lawyer who doesn’t lose and may be better able to speak to the largely black jury.
This is a fascinating story. I was unfamiliar with the case before seeing the movie, and it unfolds in ways that I didn’t expect. The twists and turns are interesting and while they are of course dramatized for the movie, the true story is genuinely compelling. While this movie clocks in at just over two hours, the pace is such that the time breezes by.
The story is bolstered by the performances from everyone. The issue of race plays prominently through the story, and both the main actors and the supporting cast help bring that home profoundly. Jones gives a largely understated performance that works beautifully contrasted with Foxx’s charisma. Ruck is perfectly cast as the southern white lawyer coming to terms with his own privileges and prejudices, and Jurnee Smollett shines as the defense lawyer. Each player knows their role and executes brilliantly.
As I mentioned, race is at the heart of this story, but it feels like it is told with more nuance than some courtroom dramas of the past. There is no white savior here, as both the prosecution and defendant are white, but instead, it is a look at the systems of oppression that hurt not just black Americans, but all Americans, particularly when they are poor. There is no overt racism here, but instead we can see the web of small prejudices that form a larger network of racial maltreatment.
It can often feel as though there are forces that cannot be overcome, and our collective interest in the justice system points to our desire to see that they can. “The Burial” proves it in an entertaining and thoughtful manner.
This post originally appeared in The Dominion Post on October 28, 2023.