If you love legal drama, Maggie Betts‘ The Burial is one movie to quickly add to your watchlist. The Burial is loosely based on a true story and follows the lawsuit between Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe, a family-owned businessman, and a bigger corporation, Loewen Funeral Company. Much of the film follows the trial, with Mr. O’Keefe’s lawyer, Willie E. Gary, refusing to cower to the Loewen Group’s legal team.
While most of the film was adapted from Jonathan Harr‘s 1999 New Yorker article, to make its 126-minute runtime entertaining, certain aspects of the real story were modified. The Burial is undoubtedly one of the best legal dramas of 2023, but most of its entertainment stems from its A-list lead stars and fantastic cast. These are the top cast of The Burial (2023)
Jamie Foxx as Willie E. Gary
Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx breathes life into the character of Willie E. Gary. Foxx’s performance proves again that he’s one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. The Gary character is introduced as a highly successful, flamboyant personal injury lawyer who hasn’t lost a case in 12 years. Gary prides himself in knowing how to work the jury. He rides some of the world’s most expensive cars and owns a personal jet named “Wings of Justice.” Although initially reluctant to take up Jerry O’Keefe’s case, especially because it’s a contract law dispute, he’s lured back in by Hal Dockins.
Tommy Lee Jones as Jeremiah O’Keefe
Veteran actor Tommy Lee Jones portrayed Jeremiah O’Keefe, the owner of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Homes. Mr. O’Keefe’s family has been in the funeral business since the 1860s. Now old, Jerry O’Keefe intends to pass on the business to his 13 children. However, being in financial trouble, he agrees to a deal with the Loewen funeral company. When Loewen Group tries to renege their spoken contract, O’Keefe chooses to sue for the first time in his life. He’s later convinced to hire the unconventional Willie E. Gary.
Jurnee Smollett as Mame Downes
Mame Downes is introduced in The Burial as the lead counsel representing the Loewen Group. The owner of Loewen Group hires her because of her competency and race. Actress Jurnee Smollett plays the character. Smollett is the younger sister of actor Jussie Smollett. She’s known for her roles in Eve’s Bayou (1997), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), Underground (2016–2017), and playing Dinah Lance/Black Canary in Birds of Prey (2020).
Mamoudou Athie as Hal Dockins
Mamoudou Athie was exceptional playing Hal Dockins in The Burial. A stage and screen actor, Athie has been raking up credits in film and television since he debuted on-screen in 2015. Athie’s character, Hal Dockins, is one of the unsung heroes in The Burial. He was a great asset to Willie E. Gary, his team, and Jerry O’Keefe. Mamoudou Athie is known for his recent work in Sorry for Your Loss (2018–2019), Underwater (2020), Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and the short-lived Netflix series Archive 81 (2022).
Alan Ruck as Mike Allred
Mike Allred has been Jerry O’Keefe’s close friend and attorney for almost 30 years. Although he seems to have O’Keefe’s interests at heart, his actions leave the audience confused at some point. As a contract law lawyer, Mike isn’t enthused with working with the unconventional Willie E. Gary and his team, especially because Gary is more of a personal injury lawyer. However, when a secret from his past is revealed, he agrees to work wholeheartedly with Gary for the sake of his friendship with O’Keefe. Alan Ruck plays Mike Allred. Ruck is known for starring in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Spin City (1996–2002), and Succession (2018–2023).
Bill Camp as Raymond Loewen
American actor Bill Camp plays Canadian businessman and owner of Loewen Group, Raymond Loewen. The character is The Burial‘s main antagonist. As the billionaire owner of the Loewen funeral company, the movie begins with him trying to buy a part of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Homes. However, as a businessman, he uses O’Keefe’s financial woes as leverage before signing the contract. Bill Camp is a stage and screen actor with over 60 acting credits. Camp has starred in several popular films, including Public Enemies (2009), Lincoln (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Jason Bourne (2016), Molly’s Game (2017), Vice (2018), and Joker (2019).
Pamela Reed as Annette O’Keefe
Veteran actress Pamela Reed plays Annette O’Keefe, the wife of Jerry O’Keefe, in The Burial. A mother of 13 children, Annette stays supportive of her husband (although she questions his intentions) throughout the trial. Pamela Reed is famously known for playing Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s partner in Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Gail Green in the CBS post-apocalyptic action drama Jericho (2006–2008). She also played Marlene Griggs-Knope in Parks and Recreation (2009–2012) and Roberta Deeks in NCIS: Los Angeles (2015–2023).
Amanda Warren as Gloria Gary
Gloria Gary is the wife of Willie E. Gary. It takes a while for audiences to realize she’s the backbone of Gary’s success. The couple share a loving relationship, with Gloria fully supportive of her husband and pushing him to achieve every one of his court successes. Amanda Warren plays the role of Gloria Gary. Amanda Warren is known for playing Lucy Warburton in The Leftovers (2014), Betty in Dickinson (2019–2021), and Camille de Haan in Gossip Girl (2021–2023). Before starring in The Burial, Amanda Warren played Regina Haywood in the CBS East New York (2022–2023).
The Burial (2023) is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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