The legal drama. They used to be a dime a dozen. They’d bring audiences flocking to the theater, they’d make some money, and they’d give some movie star – Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Matthew McConaughey, whoever – a chance to shine. That star would make rousing speeches, go toe-to-toe with other actors in cross examinations, and make desperate appeals to the jury that only really work if they’re able to appeal to the audience as well.
The age of John Grisham adaptations, however, has faded, and legal dramas no longer have the cultural cache they once did. As such, “The Burial” – a new film from director Maggie Betts based on the true story of a small business owner taking on a giant corporation – will release directly to Amazon Prime on Oct. 13 after a limited week-long run in theaters.
And what a shame that is! “The Burial” has all the hallmarks of a solid, old-school legal drama of yore, bolstered by a feel-good sensibility that would more than play to general audiences. Betts, who co-wrote the screenplay with Doug Wright, might not reach the breathtaking heights of some of the best films in the legal canon, and the court machinations at play don’t always make you feel like these ostensibly great lawyers are very good at their jobs. But Betts has a real eye for humor and charisma. “The Burial” is at its best when it elevates the natural charms of the star at its center and plays with those timeless, reliable legal movie tropes we know and love.
“The Burial” begins in 1995 when funeral home owner Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) finds himself in deep financial trouble. He decides to sell a few of his funeral homes to a giant corporation called the Loewen Group, hoping to make enough money to keep his other homes and burial insurance business afloat. But as the Loewen Group continues to stall the finalization of the contract – and Jeremiah continues to lose money – he decides to take the corporation to court.
Enter Willie E. Gary. Played with garish flash by Jamie Foxx, Willie is a personal injury lawyer who moonlights as a preacher, has his own private jet, and glitters with expensive watches and jewelry. On the surface, he doesn’t seem like the type of lawyer who has any place in a contract law dispute. But Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie), a young Black lawyer working on Jeremiah’s case, is adamant that Willie come aboard. The county where the case was filed leans heavily African American, meaning the judge and most of the jury will likely be Black. And Jeremiah’s long-time lawyer and friend Mike Allred (Alan Ruck) – an attorney dripping with the smug entitlement of a white man from Mississippi – just won’t do.
“The Burial” is at its best when it focuses on the performance of court rather than the nitty gritty machinations of the legal system. In moving the plot along, the film suffers a bit as people who are presented to us as top attorneys fumble their way through everyday maneuvers – at one point, Willie puts Jeremiah on the stand without prepping him at all, and there are multiple instances where the simplest background research doesn’t seem to have been done. But the one thing it gets right is how the success of any lawyer rests on their ability to perform. The morning of the trial is a montage of flashcards and speech rehearsals. There is no room for off the cuff, impassioned sermons, and there are no stones left unturned – everything must be perfectly prepared.
The racial makeup of where the trial takes place prompts the Loewen Group to bring on its own set of Black lawyers, including lead attorney Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett). This strategy in turn changes the case from a contract dispute between two white men into a case that centers almost completely on race, following the efforts of both lawyers as they try to endear themselves to the jury. The entire case comes to hinge on the Loewen Group’s relationship with the Black community, despite the fact that Jeremiah himself is not part of that community. Jeremiah’s team cannot absolutely prove that the Loewen Group stalled the finalization of his contract on purpose, but it can lay out evidence of the Loewen Group’s misdeeds in other arenas. For that to work, however, the case must rest on showmanship. Therefore, like so many of the best legal dramas, the movie rests on stardom.
There may be no current Hollywood actor or movie star who is as much of a showman as Jamie Foxx. The first time we really meet Willie, he’s arguing a case for a man who was hit by an 18-wheeler while drunkenly riding a bike. We’ve already seen him preach by this point, and it’s obvious his ability to connect with people is his biggest asset. In the courtroom, the camera zeroes in on him in a way that feels like a moth drawn to a flame, gliding and swaying with his movements as they oscillate from grand to subtle. He’s a magnet for the jury, the camera, and for the audience. Foxx has effortless confidence and is able to command the attention of whatever room he finds himself in. He’s quick with a comic word or sharp rebuke, but always affable – questioning witnesses with a temperament that makes it feel like he’s their best friend, but hiding behind a shark’s smile.
Foxx’s character’s verbose style and flighty physicality is a nice contrast to Jones, who exudes sweet old grandpa at this point in his career. Their connection, their odd couple energy, is what really holds the film together and is just one more aspect of ‘The Burial’ that makes it feel like a relic of another time.