There is just so much stuff coming out constantly — it's impossible to keep up. In fact, before writing this review round-up, I had no clue there was a legal drama starring Jamie Foxx as Willie E. Gary coming out on Amazon Prime soon. No idea — it just popped up out of nowhere, and now it exists! Tommy Lee Jones is in this, he plays Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe, and this story is based on a 1999 New Yorker article also called "The Burial."
You can watch this film on October 13, 2023, and it also stars Jurnee Smollett, Bill Camp, Pamela Reed, Amanda Warren, Alan Ruck and Billy Slaughter. Here's what critics have to say about this court room procedural biopic.
The premise
A legal drama about a man trying to save his business from a greedy investor may sound dreadfully serious, but this Maggie Betts–directed film — based on a 1999 New Yorker story — is a crowd-pleaser, full of well-drawn characters, show-stopping monologues, and a wonderfully energetic performance from Jamie Foxx. The actor stars as the boisterous personal-injury lawyer Willie E. Gary, who improbably joins forces with Jerry O'Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), his first white client — a funeral-home director being bankrupted by a heartless corporation taking advantage of low-income communities. But "The Burial" isn't just a skin-deep look at an unusual partnership; it also observes the way a courtroom distills people into tidy narratives according to attributes such as their race, class, and gender, producing a microcosm of society's most basic impulses.
Jamie Foxx might be the most talented man in the world
Foxx is without a doubt one of the most talented actors working in Hollywood, he's worked with revered filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Michael Mann, Sam Mendes and Edgar Wright, and he's proved himself to be capable of performing in just about any kind of genre of film. The role of Willie E. Gary seems like such a natural fit for Foxx, and one that, on paper, could put him in the awards race. Foxx shines in every single moment that he's on-screen. He's able to hone in his comedic prowess and his dramatic chops delivering a performance that reminds us why he's a one-of-a-kind performer. For as jumbled as the film is, it never brings down Foxx'ttalas performance.
On the surface, it starts with the most charismatic and high-energy performance of Foxx's career, as the "Collateral" actor brings his swaggy best to the real-life role of Willie E. Gary, a Florida personal injury attorney who practices law with the same Baptist theatricality he brings to the pulpit of his church on Sundays. Born the son of a sharecropper but already one of the richest lawyers in the world by the time our story begins, this indomitable ambulance-chaser has minted his American Dream on the strength of flash and faith alone. His flash is easy: The guy owns a private jet named "Wings of Justice," he wears a different $10,000 suit in every scene, and all of them — even the blue ones — look sort of like money. His faith is a bit more complicated. Gary believes in God, and he believes in the law, but mostly he believes in only taking cases that he can win (which tend to be cases in which he can preach his form of justice to a majority Black jury).
Through laughter, tugged heart strings, and even the pride that may seep through while watching a small team take down a corporate giant, "The Burial" has so much going for it. With its star-studded cast, it's also hard to imagine it turning out any other way. Jamie Foxx leads the pack with a show-stopping performance. It will be no shock to fans of the long-time actor, but he is so impressive here, showcasing his range. His scenes with every actor elevate and amplify their performances, and it's worth noting his beautiful chemistry with Tommy Lee Jones. Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Alan Ruck, Pamela Reed, Bill Camp, and Amanda Warren — all within their supporting roles — have scene-stealing moments.
This tackles race relations head on
The script, which Betts co-wrote with Doug Wright from a 1999 The New Yorker article, isn't shy about playing the race card. In fact, you could say it's juggling a full-blown poker tournament, dealing sharp observations on race, class and gender in respectful yet entertaining ways throughout. "The Burial" opens with a re-creation of an actual episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" in which Willie shows off his Florida mansion, gorgeous wife Gloria (Amanda Warren) and private jet, which he christened "Wings of Justice." His watch alone looks expensive enough to solve poor Jerry's debt problems.
Race is a large part of 'The Burial,' with references to the O.J. Simpson trial and the defense tactics of Johnnie Cochran, whom Gary looks up to. But in a broader sense, the film is keenly aware of not only race but how it can be perceived in court. As the story takes place primarily in the South, every person onscreen is acutely aware of how prejudice does or does not affect their lives.
Most mixed-race "We Must Overcome" films like "Green Book," "The Help," and "The Blind Side" falter by trying to fix the long span of racial inequities within the space of a trite feel-good story, in which only the white character truly feels redeemed and recompensed by credits end. But "The Burial" doesn't believe it can solve microaggressions, inequality, and racism in its 126-minute runtime. It's also not affixed to healing Jeremiah of some guilty conscience. Rather, Foxx as Willie is the actual lead in one of his best, most vibrant, and funny performances in recent memory (though "They Cloned Tyrone" is a 2023 highlight for him, too).
TL;DR
A mid '90s-set, crowdpleasing, triumphant air punch of a movie.
Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx have never been better.
The film has Jamie Foxx on the bench in a truly funny and passionate turn as legendary lawyer Willie E. Gary.
Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones lead a rousing David vs. Goliath deep south legal story.
[Image: YouTube]
