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<\/source><\/picture>In the courtroom drama \u201cThe Burial,\u201d<\/a>Jamie Foxx <\/a>stars as Willie E. Gary, a larger-than-life attorney who fought for justice against massive corporations. The film centers on a real-life David and Goliath moment in Gary\u2019s career: In 1995, he took down the Loewen Group, a corporation with more than 700 funeral homes, on behalf of a small-scale Mississippi funeral business owner.<\/p>\n Though Gary, now 76, has won some of the largest jury awards and settlements in U.S. history, he\u2019s quick to credit his deep-rooted faith for influencing the trajectory of his storied career.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in a church, my brother was my pastor,\u201d he told The Christian Post. \u201cI just believe in my faith. It\u2019s nothing fancy or anything; it’s just believing that you didn’t get to where you are by yourself. Somebody prayed for you. My grandmother used to say, \u2018You didn’t get there because you’re so powerful.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Burial,\u201d an Amazon Studios film, tells the story of how Gary, a black attorney, helped white Biloxi resident Jeremiah O’Keefe, 72, win a $500 million jury verdict after his small-town funeral business was targeted by a Ray Loewen and his Canadian funeral home corporation that was expanding into the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n Starring Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett and Alan Ruck, the film released to limited theaters on Oct. 6 and debuts on Prime Video Oct 13. The film is rated R for some language.<\/p>\n Set in the mid-’90s, \u201cThe Burial\u201d opens with Gary preaching to a congregation: \u201cWhen God calls, you have to answer,\u201d he declares. And that belief, he told CP, is what has guided his approach to justice.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope this movie gives America a chance to see how significant God can be in your life,\u201d Gary told CP. \u201cYou can make a difference. You can turn things around. I had to pray a lot of days because we were losing the case. But you know, man can do something, but God can do everything, at all times. That’s just the way I looked at it. If it’s a success, it’s because we prayed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Burial,\u201d based on a 1999 article in The New Yorker magazine<\/a>, shows not only how Gary won an unlikely victory that ultimately bankrupted the corrupt Loewen Group, but rose out of poverty as a sharecropper\u2019s son to become a self-made, successful attorney. By the time O\u2019Keefe hired Gary, he\u2019d become known as \u201cThe Giant Killer\u201d for winning multi-million-dollar jury awards.<\/a> He’d go on to win cases against major companies including Disney, Coca-Cola, Motorola<\/a> and others.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though not the focal point of \u201cThe Burial,\u201d Gary’s journey in the Deep South during segregation touches on the challenges he faced, both subtle and blatant, as he battled nationally known corporations and powerful business leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in the Deep South; segregated schools, churches, restaurants, and I don’t get a kick out of talking about it because I think we\u2019ve got to look ahead, put some of the tough times we’ve had behind us and reach out for something better,\u201d Gary said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a Gospel song that says, \u2018black and white together\/ we shall overcome.\u2019 That\u2019s my thinking then, that\u2019s my thinking now. We’re all in this together. And I hope this movie will show that a lot of people, both black and whites, died to make America what it is, to make America be all that it can be. And we made a difference. We’re not where we want to be or should be, but we’re making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Gary said that he and O\u2019Keefe, who died in 2016, had a unique bond, cutting across racial lines in an era of deep-seated racial tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen [O\u2019Keefe] first hired us in Jackson, Mississippi, people said, \u2018Who is this black lawyer coming into town represent a rich white man?\u2019\u201d Gary recalled. \u201cBut Jerry didn’t even think about it. It didn’t didn’t matter to him. He didn’t care. He just said, \u2018He\u2019s about helping people.\u2019 I miss him. I miss him a whole lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Addressing the ever-evolving battle between small businesses and large corporations, Gary said he\u2019s hopeful about the future: \u201cI think better days are coming; we\u2019ve made a lot of progress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He challenged the next generation, particularly budding lawyers, to always strive for the best and to be an advocate for those less fortunate. He referenced Matthew 25:40<\/a>: \u201cThe King will reply, \u2018Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust remember, when you’re down \u2014 and you’re going to be down \u2014 you’re never out,\u201d Gary stressed. \u201cDream big dreams. Specifically, I’d say to young people, you don’t have the right to not be the best that you can be. You don’t have the right to do any less than your best. Because at the end of the day, you will be judged, not so much on what you\u2019ve done for yourself, but what have you done for the least of these?<\/p>\n I don’t know about you, but I want my headstone to say that I tried to help somebody, I tried to make a difference. I challenged my friends and colleagues to do the same. Make a difference. Do something to help somebody that’s less fortunate than you are. Give it a try. It comes back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Burial\u201d debuts on Prime Video on Oct. 13.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n