The Burial
Amazon Prime Video | Release Date: October 6, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Screen DailyWendy IdeSep 14, 2023
The brisk rhythms and energy of the storytelling ensure that the pace rarely flags, and that every frame of this film about the business of death is bursting with life. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 11, 2023
Director Maggie Betts has a rousing old-school crowd-pleaser on her hands with this truth-based (albeit strategically embellished) drama featuring the most entertaining performance yet from Jamie Foxx, who makes a day in court feel like going to church. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubTimothy CogshellOct 12, 2023
The Burial is dramatic yet also funny. It works because it isn’t afraid to be “inspired by” the story’s actual people and isn’t just content to retell the events of this little-known but highly consequential civil court case. Read full review
80
EmpireHelen O'HaraOct 18, 2023
A nuanced and intelligent legal drama that neatly combines big characters and big ideas. By focusing on wider issues of race and injustice, Betts finds continuing resonance in a case nearly 30 years old. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonOct 13, 2023
The film is better couch fare than most of what we will see at any time of year. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 12, 2023
Directed by Maggie Betts from a script she wrote with Doug Wright, The Burial develops into a lively courtroom drama with wide-ranging pertinence. Of course its two lead actors give the bravura performances you’d expect from them, but they don’t eat the scenery — they take the material seriously and invest in it with welcome nuance. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangOct 12, 2023
Betts, whose first feature was the absorbing monastic drama “Novitiate,” has a gift for subverting and fulfilling expectations at once, and also for turning the strictures of traditional establishments inside out. Read full review
80
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonSep 14, 2023
A satisfying David vs. Goliath tale of justice, The Burial is the type of film you’d watch for the history lesson, stay for the entertainment, and return to see a wonderful cast let loose in all the best ways imaginable. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJourdain SearlesSep 14, 2023
Optimism is indeed at the heart of The Burial, a film that genuinely believes in the ability of the legal system to fight injustice. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 16, 2023
The Burial makes an entertaining story about standing up to legal mistreatment, sticking up for the Little Man and punching up at predators who never seem to run out of ways to misuse and overcharge the grieving at their most vulnerable. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonOct 13, 2023
Though it plays fast and loose with several details, The Burial remains true to its focus on race, class, and how capitalism exploits both regardless of a person’s color or financial means. The message is not subtly delivered, but it’s still effective. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 12, 2023
In The Burial, every character gets a chance to shine, but not like in a “Star Trek” movie, where Sulu gets his moment and then Chekov. Rather, it all feels natural and organic. There’s something almost philosophical in a directorial point of view that understands that supporting and featured players are just as human as the main characters. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 12, 2023
On the surface, The Burial is about a contract dispute between a white small business owner and a white billionaire. Soon, though, it becomes about much more than that, and the result is a thoroughly entertaining, old-fashioned yet timely courtroom thriller. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrOct 4, 2023
This story is about two older white men fighting about a contract, sure, but Betts and Wright expand its scope with sensitivity and nuance. Like many good courtroom dramas before it, this case is bigger than just these two guys. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsSep 12, 2023
Even when the courtroom scenes fall into overly familiar visual patterns, Foxx adds tension, frivolity, and a sense of rigor, elevating The Burial from its common bones to a stirring, distinctive comedy with high re-watch value. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearOct 13, 2023
The movie may ping between social drama and IRL courtroom saga. Whenever Foxx struts and frets — and bellows, coos, rages, and waltzes — his two hours upon this stage, you realize that it may simply work best as a star vehicle. Read full review
70
The Irish TimesTara BradyOct 13, 2023
The grander schemes of those who seek to monopolise elder care add weight. Mostly though, this is just tremendous fun. Read full review
70
The Daily BeastNick SchagerOct 13, 2023
As appealing a turn as the Oscar-winning actor has given, and it does much to elevate this inspired-by-real events tale of unlikely alliances and an even more improbable victory. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRod MachenOct 4, 2023
Director Maggie Betts never lets herself be saddled by historical events in crafting a narrative filled with empathy, humor and life. Read full review
67
ColliderNate RichardSep 12, 2023
Foxx shines in every single moment that he's on-screen. He's able to hone in his comedic prowess and his dramatic chops delivering a performance that reminds us why he's a one-of-a-kind performer. Read full review
59
Paste MagazineJacob OllerOct 16, 2023
By only brushing up against the factors that make its case fascinatingly, timelessly American, The Burial stays soft, a trial by pillow-fight—but that’s how you please a crowd. Read full review
58
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 12, 2023
Thankfully, the film has Jamie Foxx on the bench in a truly funny and passionate turn as legendary lawyer Willie E. Gary. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiOct 5, 2023
This flashy legal melodrama is fitfully stirring but too flabby to deliver the walloping blow that it needs. Read full review
More From This Movie

74 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL