The Burial

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...

Very well acted. Well written. Well directed. The story was stressful and I definitely did predict a few scenarios but that's mostly cause it's based on a true story so it's easier to predict a real scenario. It has some good love and heart. It's definitely entertaining for a drama. Very stressful and if it's a true story it's hard to complain about the outcome since it's what actually happens. This is a true story that's well told. Well captured and has a strong impact. Emotions flow through the movie. That's hard to get. This is a very good movie and I'd recommend it to anyone that actually likes heart felt court room dramas. I would have gave it a 7 but i picked 8 to make up for the racist people who didn't like the outcome.

History is replete with the darkest chapters of human behavior, showcasing how individuals, driven by insatiable greed, can resort to anything to exploit others. While times may have changed, the relentless pursuit of accumulating wealth persists. In the contemporary landscape, these greedy individuals often lurk behind the scenes, orchestrating their actions through the guise of a corporate entity.

The narrative unfolds like a cinematic tale, depicting the struggle of a small businessman against the machinations of a powerful corporation. The film delves into the company's attempt to undermine the entrepreneur, aiming to acquire his business at a fraction of its worth and subsequently turning that investment into substantial millions. The pursuit of wealth becomes so consuming that these corporate leaders lose touch with the very basics of life, such as the cost of their own sustenance.

Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx deliver exceptional performances, bringing sheer class to their roles in this compelling courtroom drama-a definite must-watch.

You know Jamie Foxx? Yeah, that guy. The clown. The guy from Booty Call, from They Cloned Tyrone .. man, was i ever wrong about someone.

Elderly Tommy Lee Jones is a funeral-home-business owning guy, not poor, but a working man. Due to faults not of his own, he gets into business with Evil Canadian Corporation, who then try to stiff him.

TLJ resorts to hiring successful TV lawyer Jamie Foxx. Now, this guy is a BLACK lawyer. He exploits this by filing his suits in the poorest, most predominantly black circuits, and plays the Victim Of The Man card to win his cases - with, apparently, massive success.

Evil Corportation puts against him equally black lawyeress Jurnee Smollett, up'n' coming Harvard lawyer ready to throw back in his face the race card.

While the film is not race-based, it does not pretend that race isn't a factor when Evil Corporation is willfully targeting the most impoverished areas of the south. There's a few tinges of Erin Brockovitch, and it's dialogue-heavy throughout, but man, you will not believe the quality of a performance that Jamie Foxx puts in for this movie. I would have never in a million years thought this comedy actor had the talent to pull out of his .. coat .. a straight courtroom drama. Don't get me wrong, Foxx plays to his strengths, but he also shows some finesse that, realistically, nobody could have predicted the man had.

NOT as great as Erin Brockovitch, but absolutely worth it.

8/10.

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.