The Burial (El negocio de la muerte)

Didn't have any reasons not to watch the new Amazon film. It has Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Fox on the cover. What could go wrong? Nothing. It is not a masterpiece but it is a piece of history you should know that happens inside the courtroom and it is worth two hours from your time.

It all begins with a funeral business owner that is going to lose all his savings and he turns into the least expected lawyer to turn to. It is a story about a small business owner against the greedy corporate, but it is also a story about race differences, bridging between those and also about unexpected friendships, that are forged through this long path of the trial.

TLJ and Fox demonstrate an amazing chemistry and this movie works, a lot, because this special bond. The story is great and written well and has a lot of comic relieves in it, to break any tension or drama and those pauses are not taking over the movie, but blend perfectly into the plot and general tone of it.

The movie is almost light headed, but when a real dramatic pause is needed, it knows its way around thanks to its director - Maggie Betts on her third movie as a director. She manages to collect an impressive team of actors, which contains some veterans like Bill Camp, Pamela Reed (Always Phoebe O'Hara from the " Kindergarten Cop") and even Alan Ruck (that I'll never forget from his appearances in "Spin City").

Betts also wisely uses two bright youngers stars on a great performances as Jurnee Smollett and the young Mahershala Ali look-A-Like: Mamoudou Athie. It's just a fantastic movie that couldn't get higher, due to his leaning of a true story, but in a most dramatic and anticipated way. Good job and waiting for Betts next projects, in order to see if she fulfills the promising career that is expected from her.

Don't let the synopsis of this movie turn you away! It sounds like it would be an utterly boring movie about a funeral home contract. And at its very surface, I guess you could say it is. But this film goes way deeper than that, spinning out stories of friendship, history, race relations, good vs evil and all that.

Even though it has a 2 hour runtime, at no point did I feel it was dragging on, or compelled to check my email or some such like many movies do. There's more than enough substance here to keep your eyes glued through the entire time.

While the supporting cast were all great, Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones were absolutely phenomenal in this one. One of the best performances I've seen to date by both actors. Highly recommend.

The movie hits a lot of notes and I came out of the theater thinking, well, most of America will love this movie and 30%, guess who, will not. So read the reviews carefully for hidden agendas. Jamie Foxx is utterly brilliant. I can't believe we almost lost this guy. Jones is perfectly cast. And the pace, writing, and tone kept me engaged with the true story. It's not a comedy as some listings may imply. It's more like real life where people say and do funny stuff to get through the course of a normal day. Kudos to the director, too, who you could tell had grasp of the story and kept a steady, never overplayed hand.

Simply watching the first 5 minutes I instantly KNEW I was in for a good movie. Why?

No spoilers here: but the very first 5 minutes reveal to me that this is a movie with a HEART, with terrific, subtle HUMOR and with a story that is out of wack but still very much TRUE to life. (Based on a true story, which is explained during the very end credits of this movie).

The good: watching Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Fox knock it out of the park is such a treat. I mean these 2 actors have proven themselves to be some of the finest American actors and they simply pull it of again. They NAIL IT. They really do!

Any bad? The first hour is the best, that's when we get to see how Tommy Lee Jones (a funeral home director in need of money) and Jamie Fox (a famous lawyer) get to know each other and make plans to sue one of the wealthiest corporations.

The second hour is a bit timid and lacking in spark and punch though, because it consists of mostly court hearings and those hearings arent as good as I hoped for. Not bad, but I have seen better.

Another slightly disappointing thing is that the supporting actors are kinda mediocre. Again they are not bad, but lacking in charisma, which does matter, because they are the main cause that this movie is lacking in true drama.

A charming, lighthearted courthouse story with lots of civil rights issues written into it. Not the greatest, but it left me with a smile on my face. I'll settle for less...

Acting is top notch and story is a great one. Integrity is worth everything - more than some ahole gigantic business owner is willing to pay. Absolutely worth watching as many stories are told Jamie Fox plays a lawyer with tons of money, but his heart is still in the right place. Tommy lee Jones is excellent as usual - great to see him in this movie.

Ending is a bit predicable but still riveting and makes you believe that good will always win over evil.

I highly recommend this movie because you'll certainly feel really good after watching it. Not all movies need to have violence and sex at the forefront.