Film Review: THE BURIAL (2023): Maggie Betts’s Courtroom Drama is Compelling and Features Jamie Foxx at His Best

The Burial Review

The Burial (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Maggie Betts, written by Doug Wright, Maggie Betts and Jonathan Harr and starring Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Alan Ruck, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, Bill Camp, Amanda Warren, Dorian Missick, Tywayne Wheatt, Lance E. Nichols, Keith Jefferson, B.J. Clinkscales, Doug Spearman, Gralen Bryant Banks, Olivia Brody, Dave Maldonado and Billy Slaughter.

Anybody who enjoys rousing courtroom dramas will absolutely be won over by Maggie Betts’s crowd-pleasing film, The Burial. Jamie Foxx assumes the lead role in the movie as a competitive lawyer named Willie Gary who comes to help an aging funeral parlor owner named Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) when Jeremiah ends up seemingly being duped by a big businessman, Ray Loewen (Bill Camp). Revolving around Southern Mississippi, the performances in Betts’s film are pretty much everything here and give the movie the dramatic edge to make audiences want to root for the main characters from beginning to end.

As the film opens, Jeremiah plans on selling off three of the funeral homes he owns to Ray but a lot of time passes and the deal never officially closes. Jeremiah is reliant on the finances of the deal and ends up losing more money as a result of waiting. Soon, Jeremiah enlists the help of the tough Willie who shoots for the stars in terms of multi-million dollar settlements and usually wins. This case, however, is going to be a tough one, especially when Ray gets a Harvard Law grad named Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett) to help take Jeremiah and Willie down.

Pay attention early on when there is a boat where Ray and Jeremiah meet to discuss business. This boat scene leads to the single best court sequence in the movie where Willie starts to reveal layers of the real situation regarding Ray’s accumulation of wealth. It all revolves around the cost of that boat. Without giving a lot away, Ray exploited the less fortunate to accumulate and thrive on the profits of funeral homes. The scene where Willie exposes this plays like gangbusters and Foxx with his showy glasses and fine line delivery, nails the sequence. It’s a wonderful moment in a movie full of crowd-pleasing scenes.

This is a complex story line about haves and the have-nots and the abuse of power that sometimes thrives as others turn a blind eye to it. Tommy Lee Jones’ performance as Jeremiah is very deep. Jeremiah is a man who wants to leave behind a legacy for his family but comes in conflict with a tough decision that is neglected by Ray for Ray’s own profiteering scam. Jones quietly hits it out of the park with one of his most nuanced recent performances. He plays off Foxx like a seasoned pro as the two characters build a friendship that becomes very touching to watch.

Also on board the movie in a small role is Mamoudou Athie as Willie’s young assistant, Hal Dockins, who is the one who helps make Willie’s compelling arguments against Ray carry a significant amount of weight. Athie is superb in a small but pivotal role in the picture and although Athie’s part doesn’t have the showiness of Foxx’s role, Athie more than hold his own beside the fine talents that the movie showcases.

Jurnee Smollett is also in fine form as Mame and Willie meet over to dinner to discuss the logistics of the case. As Willie points out, one of them will win in court and the other will lose and both of these characters will learn much about the legal system and the abuse of power that Ray has been demonstrating in the way he runs his businesses.

Finally, Amanda Warren shines as Gloria, Willie’s partner who gives Willie strength when he needs it. There’s also Pamela Reed as Annette, Jeremiah’s long suffering and faithful wife. Reed is perfect in a small but important role within the movie. Let’s also not forget Camp’s difficult and impressive turn as Ray. When Ray is put on the stand, he puts up a tough exterior but Willie goes after him with ferocious persistence to prove that Ray is a fraud. Camp captures the indecency of his character in an interesting and successful performance. Audiences will love when Willie ultimately takes him down.

If The Burial is a bit conventional, you won’t notice that too much while watching it. Courtroom movies like this are always successful when they hit the right emotional notes and Betts does just that. Betts stages fine sequences that tell the story in an easily digestible fashion that will make this movie be just as appealing to the average viewer as to those who work in the court system.

The Burial is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser which will make the viewer ponder what is right, what is just and what is wrong while rooting for the little guys all the way through. It’s a winning combination of Oscar winners Jones and Foxx’s remarkable talents that make this film soar.

Rating: 8/10

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