The Burial

The Burial is a legal drama set in Biloxi, Mississippi, in the 1990s. Jeremiah O'Keefe, who runs a family funeral business, finds himself outmaneuvered by a large Canadian funeral corporation in a contract dispute that threatens to cost him his livelihood. He turns to Willie E. Gary, a charismatic personal-injury lawyer with no experience in contract law, to take on the conglomerate. The corporation is represented by Mame Downes, a determined attorney who proves a worthy opponent. As the case moves forward, it becomes clear that more is at stake than a business disagreement, and questions of race and economic power come into play.

Margaret Betts directed the film, her second feature after Novitiate, and wrote the screenplay with Doug Wright. Tommy Lee Jones plays O'Keefe and Jamie Foxx plays Gary, with Jurnee Smollett as Downes and supporting turns from Alan Ruck, Mamoudou Athie and Pamela Reed. Foxx also produced, alongside Celine Rattray and Jenette Kahn.

Made for a budget of 33 million dollars, the film drew solid audience scores, sitting at 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb from 43,000 votes and the same figure on TMDB from 652 votes. A critics' rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 122 reviews places it slightly above the audience scores, indicating a generally favourable response from reviewers as well.