Netflix Life
Jamie Foxx stars in "The Burial," an Amazon Prime original film based on a true story. Foxx plays a lawyer that has never lost a court case; however, this might be the case that he loses his winning streak to.
There’s a similar energy when watching lawyer Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) preach at a church, spreading his love of community, to when he’s giving his final speech in a courtroom, defending his client while playing to the jury’s emotions. Both of these rooms erupt in applause each time, feeling the passion spilling out with his every word, every inflection. His ability to enrapture the people around him, no matter the obstacles stacked against him, makes him an instantly iconic character in the new Amazon Prime original film “The Burial.”
In fact, Willie hasn’t lost a case in 12 years. He’s also never worked for a white client before. That all changes when he meets Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), the head of a family-owned funeral home business who is suing multi-millionaire Ray Loewen (Bill Camp). After up-and-coming lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) convinces Willie of the importance of taking on the nationwide issue of corruption within the funeral service industry, Willie finds himself going up against his most challenging case to date.
Based on a true story and released on streaming Oct. 13, “The Burial” uses the specific court case as a catalyst to integrate deeper themes of privilege, race and legacy. Far before Willie ever steps foot in the courtroom with Jeremiah, going toe-to-toe with defense lawyer Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett), he finds himself struggling to be taken seriously by Jeremiah’s long-time attorney Mike Allred (Alan Ruck).
When Jeremiah first introduces the case to Willie, he feels the need to clarify that it has nothing to do with race. But upon deeper investigation into the lives of the Black people most affected by Loewen’s company, Willie gets to the root of the issue buried far beneath the surface. It’s clear that this story has a lot to say — it’s a shame that the implementation never fully lives up.
With any courtroom drama, it can be difficult to bring such a rigid and structured setting to life in a cinematic way. That is the main issue lying at the center of this mediocre film that over-relies on conventional cinematography, the shots largely remaining static and unmoving. Director Maggie Betts does a terrific job at capturing the many great performances in this film but doesn’t quite bring their conversations to life in a compelling way. Without a strong visual color palette or tone, the film ultimately blends in with every other ’90s courtroom drama.
The retelling of this story has some great dialogue scenes, but the minute details of the case often feel incredibly expository with an unclear focus. Especially as the case goes on and the two lawyers find themselves increasingly at odds, the script randomly cuts to different characters without much momentum or reason behind it.
Where the film falters in its directing and writing, Foxx’s performance as the charismatic, charming and heroic lawyer is the true anchor of the entire film and the sole reason why it’s worth watching. The feeling when watching Willie deliver a speech is nothing short of captivating, even once the audience is clued into the specific beats of his approach. Smollett is another strong point of the cast, particularly when putting up a fight of her own against Willie in the courtroom. Jones gives a decent performance but, similar to the character he’s portraying, isn’t that interesting to watch.
As “The Burial” hits the exact crowd-pleasing beats that fans of procedural dramas have come to expect over many decades, it’s hard not to have a smile on your face when the verdict is read. It’s also hard not to think about the greater potential for a more creative portrayal of this story. As it stands, it feels destined to be buried in the streaming vacuum of content.