Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Burial’ on Amazon Prime Video, A ‘90s-Set Legal Drama That Means Business

What if courtroom footage of the O.J. Simpson trial was the second most interesting legal battle we see in a film? That’s the proposition of The Burial (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video). While perhaps not as sensational or scintillating, this based on a true story tale of a business deal gone wrong proves a compelling Rorschach blot of America in its own way.

THE BURIAL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: A handshake deal between Biloxi, MS funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) and business magnate Ray Loewen (Bill Camp) goes south. It’s 1995, and the corporate tycoon sees the opportunity to be ready to capitalize on the impending surge in Baby Boomer deaths as the giant generation ages. But Jeremiah soon realizes he’s being swindled out of his family business and not being paid anywhere close to a fair price for his assets.

One of Jeremiah’s young attorneys, Hal Dockins (Mamadou Athie), makes a bold suggestion to shake up their legal strategy. After watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, he proposes Jeremiah hire high-flying personal injury lawyer Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) … never mind that he’s not usually taking cases around contract law. Improbably, he says yes. The dispute heads to trial, where the optics are strange, to say the least. Given that Loewen’s chief counsel is the steely Mame Downes (Jurnee Smolett), here are two old white Southerners being represented by Black lawyers. The history uncovered in their cross-examination goes far beyond the deal itself and begins exposing a larger web of race, money, and power in the deep South. 

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: It’s got the vibe of a John Grisham movie from the period in which the film is set — think The Rainmaker in particular as a template for this kind of legal drama.

Performance Worth Watching: Remember when the Internet thought Jamie Foxx had died in the summer of 2023? The Burial provides a great illustration of why people cared that much. He’s really cooking here because Willie Gary is the kind of character that allows him to work in a more maximalist range. A lawyer with a penchant for dramatic flair is right in his sweet spot — persuasive and performative.

Memorable Dialogue: “Who has to pay for it?” bellows Willie Gary with furious anger as his interrogation of the defendant reaches a fever pitch. “The small businessman like Jeremiah O’Keefe in this country who works so hard to pay for everything to stay on top and keep afloat while these greedy corporations do everything they can…” He’s cut off before he can finish the final bit of his comparison, but the contrast is clear.

Sex and Skin: Some innocuous talk between couples is as far as The Burial goes.

Our Take: The Burial arrives at what appears to be the tail-end of a boom in ‘90-set entertainment that uses the era to illustrate how we should have seen America was not the post-racial utopia we envisioned it might be. Many works used the setting to be didactic about the present day, but thankfully, co-writer and director Maggie Betts resists the obvious indulgences here. The deck does feel a bit lopsided toward Jeremiah and Willie as we experience the trial, which does take away some of the pleasures of feeling like a pseudo-jury member in a courtroom drama. But persuasion isn’t really Betts’ goal of the film — it’s illumination. Turn over any rock, especially in the South, and you’re sure to find any number of injustices and inequities worth looking into. The Burial is at its best when sitting in the discomfort of watching competent Black lawyers forced to fit into the roles and institutions created by white Southerners … and left to wonder what’s really worth defending. 

Our Call: STREAM IT. Fans of legal dramas will find a most pleasant watch in The Burial. It’s familiar enough to provide a comforting watch while still providing enough challenge and intrigue to surprise. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have Oscar winners like Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones around when you need more boilerplate genre elements elevated, too.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.

Watch The Burial on Amazon Prime Video