PORTLAND, Maine — [Editor's note: This article is a critical analysis of a film and does not represent the views of NEWS CENTER Maine, but that of the author.]
A new legal thriller with a couple of big names attached was released over the weekend, and it's called "The Burial." The movie is based on a true story.
It stars Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones, and the two make a powerful pairing for what feels like a throwback to '90s cinema.
Story
Jones stars as a Mississippi man named Jeremiah who owns a chain of funeral homes and an insurance business, all threatened by financial problems. He finds a potential buyer for a few of his funeral homes in a wealthy Canadian businessman named Raymond Loewen (Bill Camp).
The pair come to an agreement, and Jeremiah signs a contract, waiting for Loewen to sign his end later.
Weeks go by, and Loewen has yet to sign the contract. That's when one of Jeremiah's lawyers figures out Loewen is waiting for Jeremiah to be bankrupted by his financial issues. Then he can swoop in and buy all of the Mississippi man's funeral homes cheaply.
After realizing Loewen's plan, Jeremiah files a lawsuit against him over a contract dispute. And he hires a personal injury attorney named Willie E. Gary (Foxx) to lead the legal challenge.
Loewen hires Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett), a star lawyer with a powerful record of her own to defend him.
This sets up an underdog legal fight, in which, a small businessman takes on a billionaire nobody thinks he can defeat.
Analysis
Foxx is front and center in a movie packed with powerful performers. He brings an unchecked charisma and will have audiences eating out of the palm of his hand for the whole film. His entire acting range is on display in "The Burial," quiet emotional connection with Jones, righteous court proclamations, and an ego that can and will get his character into trouble.
He's flanked on all sides by tremendous talent, whether it's Jones playing a family man who just wants to leave a successful business to his children and grandchildren or Smollett
opposite of him in the courtroom tearing apart his witnesses with unmatched brilliance and wit.
The film is well-paced and doesn't waste a minute of its runtime, which runs just over two hours. "The Burial" packs moments of potential defeat and soaring highs before finally delivering the rightfully earned justice its audience will be clamoring for.
On top of strong performances and sharp writing, "The Burial" boasts a great soundtrack that only serves to complement its scenes both great and small.
By the time the credits roll, audiences should be singing "Feels good!" to themselves, just like Jones does during one of the best scenes in the movie.
This film is a tremendous case of all the right ingredients coming together without a single hiccup, from Foxx's lead performance to masterful assembly from Director Maggie Betts. It'll have viewers wanting to break out some of their favorite '90s legal thrillers from "A Time to Kill" to "The Firm."
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