Courtroom films can sometimes be a bit dry. But the trailer and first reviews of the festival premiere of “The Burial” suggest that, in addition to two big stars and a thrilling case, there should also be plenty to laugh about.
“The Burial” is a David vs. Goliath story based on true events from the 1990s. In the leading roles you can expect “Django Unchained” and “Ray” star Jamie Foxx as a shrewd lawyer as well as another Oscar winner in the person of Tommy Lee Jones. The Hollywood veteran replaces his “On the Run” co-star Harrison Ford, who was initially slated for the part, and plays a local funeral director who is about to be put out of business by a greedy big corporation.
The film recently had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It will be released in selected US cinemas for one more week on 6 October. On 13 October, “The Burial” will then be launched worldwide in the Amazon Prime Video streaming programme.
Five and a half years ago we first told you about the project, which was still in the planning stage at the time. Back then, two-time Academy Award winner Alexander Payne (“Sideways”) was considered for the directing job. In the end, Maggie Betts (“Novitiate”) took over the production. Together with Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright (“Quills”) she also wrote the script, which is based on a magazine article by journalist Jonathan Harr.
In addition to Foxx and Jones, other well-known mim*es such as Jurnee Smollett (“Lou”), Bill Camp (“Poisoned Truth”), Mamoudou Athie from the Netflix series “Archive 81”, Alan Ruck (“Succession”), Amanda Warren (“The Leftovers”) and Pamela Reed (“Kindergarten Cop”) were in front of the camera.
“THE BURIAL”: THIS IS THE STORY
Jeremiah “Jerry” O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is the operator of a small, merely local funeral home. His grandfather and parents ran the business and Jerry intends to keep it in the family. However, when he runs into financial difficulties, he turns to industry giant Ray Loewen (Bill Camp). He hopes to get rid of the debts for good by selling part of his business.
Loewen agrees, but tries to rip Jerry off and rob him completely. When he finally sees through the nasty plan, it seems to be too late. Desperate, O’Keefe turns to Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx), of all people, an extroverted star personal injury lawyer. He doesn’t know a thing about contract law, but – and this convinces his new client – he hasn’t lost a single one of his cases yet…
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