Based on true events, The Burial follows the 1995 story of a small-town Mississippi funeral home owner named Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones). After running into some financial misfortune, O’Keefe decides to sell a portion of his family’s business to the Loewen Group – a big corporation buying up funeral homes around the country. When the sale of the business begins to stall, O’Keefe hires Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) – a high profile personal injury lawyer. Gary and his legal team begin to uncover a web of lies, greed, and abuse.

The Loewen Group brings in their team of high-powered attorneys lead by Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). The heavyweight attorneys battle it out in the courtroom as the trial develops into more than simple a contract dispute.

In the film’s opening moments, you’re introduced to the quiet small-town life of Jeremiah O’Keefe. That’s juxtaposed with Willie Gary giving a closing argument. His closing argument feels like a pastor delivering a fiery sermon from the pulpit more than a lawyer delivering his closing statements. The genius of Willie Gary is that he’s doing both and that’s why he hadn’t lost a case in 12 years.

The opening of the film is the most important piece of the story. It shows these two men come from different backgrounds and may have different values…but the things they do agree on are decency, fairness, and a hatred for big corporations taking advantage of the little guy.

Jamie Foxx is a force of nature. It’s hard to imagine, even after decades of seeing Foxx onscreen, he still can surprise audiences with a breathtaking performance. Foxx is especially great onscreen with Jones playing the odd couple. The two actors are hilarious when they’re bumping heads, agreeing on a strategy, and singing Tony Toni Tone songs. The film could’ve benefited from these two great actors spending more time onscreen together.

A lot of the fanfare around this film is because of Foxx’s performance. However, do not overlook Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Mame Downes. Smollett continues to deliver in every performance. From 1997’s Eve’s Bayou, to Season 4 of Friday Night Lights, to her breakout performance as Leti in HBO’s Lovecraft Country, Smollett has been outstanding. Hopefully this performance reminds people she’s an actress that would thrive in a leading role.

The biggest flaws of the film are the actual investigation into the company and a shallow portrayal of O’Keefe and Gary’s relationship. The bigger story of corporate greed and corruption is mentioned but not examined. The screenplay gives enough information to show there’s corruption but not enough to detail how these corporations ruins people’s lives. Towards the end of the film, it’s clear Gary and O’Keefe have bonded but the film never shows how the two grew to be so close and how that impacted Gary’s involvement in the trial.

What really works is how entertaining this courtroom drama is. It’s a lighthearted film that makes you cheer for the little guy. The story is fun and easy to follow and the great actors onscreen really sell these characters, making them a joy to watch.

The Burial is a highly entertaining courtroom drama. With a runtime a little over 2 hours, the film moves at a steady pace, even if it feels like a paint-by-numbers courtroom procedural. Thanks to Foxx and Smollett’s fantastic performances, the film is engaging and energetic when and where it needs to be.

Grade: B+