The Burial (film)
The Burial | |
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Directed by | Maggie Betts |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Doug Wright[1] |
Based on | "The Burial" by Jonathan Harr |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Maryse Alberti |
Edited by | |
Music by | Michael Abels |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Amazon Prime Video |
Release dates |
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Running time | 126 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $32.5 million[3] |
The Burial is a 2023 American legal drama film directed by Maggie Betts and written by Betts and Doug Wright. It is loosely based on the true story of lawyer Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, as documented in the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name by Jonathan Harr.[4] It stars Jamie Foxx as Gary, Tommy Lee Jones as O'Keefe, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Bill Camp.
It premiered at the
Plot
In 1995, financially troubled funeral home owner
An enraged O'Keefe hires
In court, O'Keefe is cornered when Downes questions his character and points out his financial troubles stem from business deals with a now-convicted felon. Blaming Gary, O'Keefe replaces him with Allred as lead attorney. Dockins produces a valuable witness who insinuates that Loewen overcharges minority communities. Downes in turn questions Allred and reveals that his grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. When Gary stands up for Allred, his angered black legal team leaves him. Allred realizes he is too compromised and retracts from the case to give the team a higher chance to win.
Just when O'Keefe decides to drop the case, Dockins digs up a lead to the black National Baptist Church, revealing that the Loewen group did exploit the church members to sell overpriced packages to other members of the black community. When Raymond Loewen is confronted with this in court and shows no remorse, the jury is swayed in O'Keefe's favor, awarding him $500 million in damages—$100 million in compensatory damages and $400 million in punitive damages. Two years later, Ray Loewen gets fired from his position and the company eventually goes into bankruptcy.
Cast
- Jamie Foxx as Willie E. Gary[5]
- Tommy Lee Jones as Jeremiah O'Keefe[5]
- Jurnee Smollett as Mame Downes[6]
- Alan Ruck as Mike Allred[7]
- Mamoudou Athie as Hal Dockins[8]
- Pamela Reed as Annette O'Keefe[9]
- Bill Camp as Raymond Loewen[10]
- Amanda Warren as Gloria Gary[9]
- Dorian Missick as Reggie Douglas[9]
- Lance E. Nichols as James E. Graves Jr.[11]
- Billy Slaughter as Robert Sperry[12]
Production
The film is an adaptation of
Music
Release
The Burial premiered at the
Reception
On the
References
- ^ "The Burial". Writers Guild of America West. September 6, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "The Burial (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Fastlane NextGen: Initial Certification Search" (Type "The Burial" in the search box). Louisiana Economic Development. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Jonathan Harr (October 24, 1999). "The Burial". The New Yorker.
- ^ a b c Perez, Mary (March 8, 2022). "Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx to star in Amazon movie that tells the story of a Biloxi legend". Sun Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Donnelly, Matt (November 18, 2021). "Jurnee Smollett Joins Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones in Amazon's The Burial (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (March 14, 2022). "Amazon Studios' Film The Burial Adds Succession's Alan Ruck". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2022). "Jurassic World Dominion Star Mamoudou Athie Joins Amazon Studios' The Burial". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (March 8, 2022). "The Burial: Dorian Missick, Pamela Reed, Amanda Warren & Jim Klock Round Out Cast Of Amazon Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (February 10, 2022). "Amazon Studios Pic The Burial Adds The Queen's Gambit Actor Bill Camp". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (May 4, 2022). "Universal's Bros Casts Jai Rodriguez; Amazon's The Burial Adds Lance E. Nichols". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (March 29, 2022). "Billy Slaughter Joins Amazon's The Burial; Oppenheimer Adds Trond Fausa". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Harr, Jonathan (October 24, 1999). "The Burial". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 14, 2018). "Alexander Payne In Talks For The Burial At Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (November 10, 2020). "Jamie Foxx To Produce And Star In The Burial For Amazon Studios With Maggie Betts Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 13, 2021). "Tommy Lee Jones To Star Opposite Jamie Foxx In Amazon's The Burial, Replacing His The Fugitive Co-Star Harrison Ford". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Byrd, Jeff (March 10, 2022). "Jamie Foxx film in production is set in Jackson; also will star Tommy Lee Jones". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ Knowles, Lindsay (March 8, 2022). "New film to tell story of landmark case involving Coast funeral home and former Biloxi mayor". WLOX. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Madden, Chelsea (March 17, 2022). "See Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx dressed like Old Biloxi money on set of new Amazon movie". Sun Herald. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ "The Burial". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 24, 2023). "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders Dumb Money, The Holdovers, Rustin; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- ^ Scorziello, Sophia (September 7, 2023). "The Burial Trailer: Jamie Foxx Heads to Court as Tommy Lee Jones' Attorney". Variety. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "The Burial". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- Fandom, Inc.Retrieved October 26, 2023.
External links
- The Burial at IMDb