Though not very original in its plot, Burial is a great view nonetheless. It is an action-packed film set during the death rattle of World War II, wherein a unit of Russian soldiers, accompanied by a female intelligence officer, have to protect a very valuable relic of the war – the remains of Adolph Hitler. The group is tasked to guard and inconspicuously transport the remains to Stalin as proof of Hitler’s demise, but, moving through Poland, they realize that another group is lurking in the woods. In the film, German ‘werewolves’ surround Polish villages to look for Russian troops…and not to trade for vodka. They mean to slaughter.
Burial starts with a very original and entertaining scene set in the early 1990s where we meet Anna Marshall (Harriet Walter). An unsolicited visitor forces her to revisit her youth as an intelligence officer in the Russian Army. This is where Burialpicks up its story and soon we are introduced to the small group of soldiers that follow orders, lugging a makeshift coffin through the forests of Poland.
The film is well-paced, allowing us to get to know the characters without the scenes getting winded. Dramatic interaction and background stories are brief, but adequate, flanked by good action scenarios with excellent, realistic gore. Very well done practical make-up effects add to the realism of the scenes, but what makes it great is for once not subjecting the audience to overdone CGI hogwash that begs to be accepted.
Written and directed by Brit Ben Parker (2016’s The Chamberand Girl on the Third Floor (2019)), Burial touches on metaphor and moral commentary about war and the creeds that enforce it. A common theme throughout Burial is the concept of being ‘surrounded by wolves’, not only from the Russian group being surrounded by German so-called werewolves, but how entire countries can suffer the fear of warring neighbors encroaching on their lives.
Another interesting underlying message of the film is the clear opinion that ideology reaches further than the men that create it. It bites at how the compliance and acceptance of fearful people can perpetuate the evils of dangerous ideologies. Parker expertly uses this in how his characters each respond to the death of Hitler, still fearing the dogma even at the sight of his corpse.
Burial’s dialogue is intelligent and useful, the acting is proper and the cinematography beautiful. However, one cannot help but feel the obligatory neo-feminist wave forced in the film - a woman with highly questionable rifle-handling ability somehow ends up being in charge of higher ranking men and tacticalstrategies.
Charlotte Vega (2021’s Wrong Turn and 2017’s The Lodgers), portraying the female protagonist sadly comes across as rigid and unlikable, lacking the range in her character to provoke our affection or respect.
Look out for Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter) turning out some good monologue and believable emotion and enjoy Harriet Walter’s (Dr. Who) impeccable portrayal of the veteran lady soldier that will bring a smile to your face.
Burial is an entertaining 95 minutes that merits at least one view. It mixes drama and action with all the right parts of horror like a good bartender in a one-horse town.
—Tasha Danzig