The Burial Movie Review: Jamie FoxxTommy Lee Jones Courtroom Drama Thrives On Star Power

Review of the movie “The Funeral of Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones”

Funeral is a courtroom drama starring Jamie Foxx as a black lawyer who takes on American loser Tommy Lee Jones' case against a rebellious white tycoon played by a relatively unknown actor. This means you'll know how the story ends long before it ends, even if you've never heard of the real events the movie is based on. Director Maggie Bates relies heavily on the main cast to create the retro legal drama, and while the tense narrative highlights big business corruption creating a David vs. Goliath premise, the narrative also leaves room for the subtext of racism.

Bates, in his second feature film as director, plays lawyer Willie E. representing Canadian businessman Raymond Loewen and his client Jeremy O'Keefe against his death. Taking some narrative liberties when creating a narrative based on the case presented by Gary. The screenplay for Care Company (Bates and Doug Wright) was adapted from author Jonathan Harr's 1999 New Yorker article about the case.

The film is reminiscent of legal dramas made nearly three decades ago and may reflect Bates' efforts to recreate the old-school filmmaking style of the mid-1990s, when these events took place. The '90s saw the heyday of John Grisham's best-selling legal thrillers, and film adaptations of many of his books, including The Farm , The Pelican Brief , and The Rainmaker, became the standard for Hollywood courtroom dramas. Tomb is a fun throwback effort that should please fans of that simpler era, with slow-burn suspense, fun courtroom interrogations, and big-hero monologues.

Fox as attorney Willie E. Gary seems perfect for those moments when he is the center of attention in a large courtroom. Considered today as one of the richest lawyers in the world, the real Gary rose from humble beginnings to success worthy only of the incredible charisma he exuded. Fox plays Gary from the beginning of the story, when we see him speaking at a Sunday church meeting. This scene serves to introduce Gary as a man who likes to perform for the gallery, and when Fox masterfully executes this idea in the first few minutes of the film, you know you're in for another great performance from the Oscar winner. Actor Roy.

At the other end of the personality curve is Jeremiah O'Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), a soft-spoken 75-year-old World War II veteran who was once mayor of the small Mississippi town of Biloxi. Jerry, as family and acquaintances called him, ran a funeral business that included several funeral homes. Faced with financial difficulties, Jerry tries to make a deal with Canadian death industry magnate Raymond Lowen (Bill Camp).

It was 1995, and Lowen believed that the funeral market in the United States would continue to grow, and that the baby boom generation would likely cause an increase in the number of deaths. The company is aggressively planning to expand its business in the United States. However, the deal failed because Loewen deliberately delayed signing the agreement. Apparently he was wasting his time waiting for Jerry's small business to go bankrupt so he could buy him cheap. Corporate lawyer Jerry (Alan Ruck) begins to prepare to file a lawsuit, but young lawyer Hal Dawkins (Mamoudou Athie), helping on the case, believes that the charismatic Gary would be the right man to handle the case with his penchant for influence. juries. seventy years

The makers of "Funeral" were accused of taking creative liberties to turn a simple "money case" into a dramatic story for the big screen. The film also makes a real effort to keep up with Hollywood's current wave of inclusivity. For example, Lowen's main lawyer is a black lawyer named Mame Downes (Journee Smollett, in a part-time position). In fact, Lowen's mostly black legal team was led by a black lawyer named Richard Sinquefield. Casting Smollett as Gary's nemesis promised fireworks, but somehow never materialized.

These issues are ignored because this is mainstream cinema and director Bates ultimately manages to make an entertaining film about an underdog triumphing over corporate evil. It's clear that a lot of effort went into creating a script that could exploit the contrasting characteristics that Fox and Jones brought to life as Gary and Jerry. Legal Eagle Gary is an experienced individual who can impress judges with his impressive style in the courtroom, as well as a devoted family man at home. Fox's triumph is that it manages to make its larger characters seem likeable without being overpowering.

On the other hand, Tommy Lee Jones' challenge in bringing Jeremy O'Keefe to life was to get out of his comfort zone. The Oscar-winning supporting actor in The Fugitive is a bona fide movie star with an innate ability to impress with his on-screen bravado. Jones is one of those actors who is always expected to add more value to his character with a new screen presence. To become Jerry, the veteran actor had to abandon his charm and become an ordinary guy, a neighbor whose only dream was to set up a family business for his descendants. Jones brings Jerry's gentle demeanor to life with ease.

Funeral might have made more sense as a courtroom drama with more astute writing and performances, although Bates manages to bring together the important common elements in just the right amount to create a moderately interesting film. It would be wise to give the main character more space as the movie ends up pairing well with Jamie Foxx's show.

Rating: 3 and a half out of 5.

The funeral is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Vinayak Chakraborty is a critic, columnist and journalist who likes to write about popular culture.