Movie poster for The Burial starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones
As the world waited, wondering if actor, singer, comedian Jamie Foxx would recover from his illness this past spring, he has popped up as good as ever in another film, “The Burial.” He starred in “They Cloned Tyrone” in July and “The Strays” in August.
“The Burial” is a portrayal of renowned, and flamboyant super Florida attorney Willie E. Gary, which is streaming on Prime Video
Foxx plays Gary, along with Tommy Lee Jones as the plaintiff in one of Gary’s celebrated cases and Jurnee Smollett as the firecracker opposing attorney.
Mamoudou Athie plays Hal Dockins, a freshly-minted attorney with Gary’s firm, and East New York’s Amanda Warren plays Gary’s extravagantly dressed wife, Gloria.
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe, played by Jones, enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Gary to save his family business.
Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
There is much more than a contractual breach here; there are themes of power, poverty and racism aimed at a small Mississippi town.
The defendant in this case, which is based on an actual 1995 case litigated by Gary, is a high polluting arrogant type from the East Coast by the name of Ray Loewen, played by Bill Camp, who owned more than 700 funeral homes and dozens of cemeteries across the country.
Loewen tried to undercut O’Keefe and snatch his family-owned funeral home business from under him, which also covered burial insurance. Then walks in Gary, filled with swagger with his fancy suits, flashy jewelry and private plane called the “Wings of Justice.”
Throughout the film, Gary is compared to the late, great Johnnie Cochran, who coincidentally is trying the famous OJ Simpson trial around the same time.
Smollett, as Attorney Mame Downes, is as brilliant as she is a gorgeous threat to Gary. I had been familiar with Gary through my career as a journalist, and according to some news accounts, he isn’t everyone’s favorite.
I understand that he went to law school and became an attorney after reportedly being discriminated against while seeking an apartment for his family. He came back to successfully sue the apartment complex.
However, as Foxx lays out his case in colorful and acerbic language to win the lawsuit and to also grab another Oscar for his portrayal of Gary, it’s good movie fare.
“The Burial” is streaming now on Prime Video.
