Review: Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones team up in tepid 'The Burial' on Amazon Prime Video

Anyone looking forward to “The Burial,” which began streaming on Amazon Prime Video Friday, can’t be blamed given the cast.

Two Oscar winners – Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones – headline this drama from director Maggie Betts, who co-wrote it with Doug Wright and Jonathan Harr.

However, any enthusiasm for the story of lawyer Willie Gary and the case that catapulted him to legal stardom is tempered by the film’s uneven tone.

Based on a true story, Gary is the perfect character to allow Foxx’s skills to run freely. He’s arrogant, brash, confrontational and extremely intelligent. He also doesn’t like to lose.

Gary is brought into the case of Mississippi funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones), who is on the verge of losing a business that’s been in his family for generations. Death and its ancillary businesses aren’t doing well for O'Keefe.

More: Jamie Foxx took 'an unexpected dark journey' with his health: 'But I can see the light'

He takes advice from family friend and personal lawyer Mike Allred (Cleveland’s Alan Ruck) and agrees to sell a portion of the business to a Canadian corporation. They apparently sense an opportunity at hand knowing the financial straits O’Keefe is in and slow walk the deal to slowly bleed him financially.

He recognizes that fact and, taking Allred’s advice, resorts to legal action. O’Keefe only wants what’s promised to him, but Allred’s laid-back genteel style of lawyering doesn’t necessarily fit the moment.

Taking counsel from up-and-coming attorney Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie), he seeks out Gary, a lawyer who possesses panache and an impressive winning record in the court room.

Considering Allred hails from the deep south, and Gary is Black, there is some conflict at the start of their awkward partnership. That conflict only grows as the case progresses, and it becomes about something more than a business deal gone awry.

Betts and her co-writers attempt to slowly build their story into a grand revelation, almost looking for the cliched courtroom payoff. When it comes, it unsurprisingly feels more than a bit anti-climactic.

The film wants to deal with issues of racial exploitation without really taking the issue on directly. And it comes up short when trying to tell the obvious legal tale along with its underlying bigotry and broader exploitation that comes to light.

What it has going for it: that cast.

Foxx’s effervescence still comes to light even as he’s obviously restrained by the character. The ever-subtle Jones appears to have the most fun he’s had on screen in years.

“The Burial” is only showing in a select few theaters throughout the country, but it's not worth the price of admission. Watching at home in your living room, however, may be a different story.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal.

Review

Movie: The Burial

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Alan Ruck, Mamoudou Athie

Directed by: Maggie Betts

Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes

Rated: R for language

Grade: C

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones star in tepid 'The Burial' on Amazon