Indie Film Review “One Of The Good Ones” An honest, upstanding lawyer?! It’s TRUE thanks to the this rollicking, dramatic, wonderfully done indie feature
WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW:
First, the Recap:
We would like to believe that most people desire to be amicable to others and the world around them. While it is more than clearly evident that there IS plenty of facets to life that invite the opposite reaction to this, overall we ideally aim to find peace. However, when you realize that YOU might be that individual seeking to be a bastion of truth and goodness in the midst of others who DON’T appreciate it or subscribe to your mindset…well…
Dean (Tom Paolino), a prosecutor at a Buffalo-based law firm, has a reputation for winning and strict conformance. With a no-nonsense demeanor that rubs his co-workers the wrong way, it is everything Dean can do to remain the by-the-book person he is. As he and his right hand man Stu (Roderick Garr) are investigating seedy D.A. Sam Marcum (Jacob A. Ware), can Dean stay the course, hold others accountable, and prove that he truly is, indeed, one of the (few??) good ones?
Next, my Mind:
When it comes to films, I admittedly LOVE when something I view surprises me. Of course, more so obviously when it is a GOOD surprise. While I cannot at ALL pinpoint what it was that initially caused me some kind of inexplicable…hesitation??…about this particular film, what I ended up witnessing was a wonderfully entertaining romp WELL worth watching. Arriving from writer/director/producer Julie O’Hora, writer Vincent Scarsella (based on his novel), producers Susan Gallagher, Paul Drescher, Joe Puglisi, and Bill Kennedy plus executive producers Tom Paolino, Joseph R. Paolino, Susan Plotkin, Robert Sciglimpaglia, Howard Abramson, and Jean Marie Russo, it’s 84-minutes of comedy, drama, and genuine heart and soul. Additionally, for this critic, it is a further testament to the WEALTH of filmmaking talent women directors represent, more and more showcasing they ARE a FORCE in the industry.
Focused on a Buffalo, NY-based prosecutor with a reputation for doing good while holding others to account (which does NOT make him popular!) getting obsessively but purposefully embroiled in the nasty business of unscrupulous politics, sexual manipulation, and greed associated with the local D.A., the film’s pacing and immediately established dramedy-infused atmosphere swept me up from the start. Given how it also employs instances of our lead character “breaking the fourth wall”, it engenders this excellent though not OVERUSED degree of amusing yet also poignant relatability. It is mainly for little moments of humor in given circumstances that absolutely and understandably demand some brief commentary. All part of the fun! The briskness of the grander pacing here is also intelligently existent, providing plenty of character development, and NOT at the sacrifice of the narrative’s course and intent.
I truly admire the adept manner in WHICH the combination of humor and drama IS on display, neither element remotely feeling dominant. Rather, it all fuses together with straight-forward, engaging cleverness…well-written, enjoyably smart, deftly wry, and stirringly potent. Thematically, as one would guess, there is an abundance of concepts that are explored beyond the surface ones mentioned above. Delving into clashing egos, conflicts of interest, corruption, striving to be a legitimate source for good, how this upends other’s less-than-upright morality, fighting our demons, how people can let us down, coping with loss, battling addictions, admitting our weaknesses, showing our frailties, caught between right choices and temptations, wanting to give in, cover-ups, and seeing all that is broken in a system we cherish, it’s a study in our humanity that actually goes deeper in this film than one might anticipate. And does it all WELL!
And in so many respects, this is an underdog tale, which leads us to a finale that some might believe is “typical” or even one you “see coming”. But, frankly, even being in this camp myself as I watched the events unfold, IT DIDN’T MATTER. The end result was awesome, it made me feel totally gratified, and the ultimate message about realizing we are IN a world that seems to FIGHT positivity and those who aim to follow and reinforce that in whatever ways it might be….THAT is messaging we NEED. For that matter, we need to HEED and APPLY it, folks! Maybe it isn’t “popular” to do so, but isn’t that therefore even MORE reason to STAND UP for what IS right?? Even in the context of the legal world this film takes place in, the larger declaration it makes about all of this couldn’t be more relevant, timely, and apropos.
Paolino is an absolute treat to watch, establishing from the very first sequence in the film, and subsequently carrying it all the way through, a demeanor and measure of skill he employs to imbue his character with grounded emotive energy and foundational believability that keeps you both in stitches and in honest attachment to him though his role as Dean Alessi, a lawyer offering something quite unique…a conscious. In spite of many in his office, much less those who are on the wrong side of the law, who grandly snub his earnest efforts to keep things around him as they SHOULD be, Dean’s persistence and loyalty to all he holds dear is put to the test when looking into the local D.A. and all the suspected delinquency he fully believes he has a definitive case against him for. All included with his own personal strife he is encountering, will Dean’s dogged approach be able to outmatch, overcome, and reveal the growing levels of malfeasance he knows exists?
Again, the way Paolino presents this character is just steadfast and wholly entertaining from the comedic and dramatic standpoints, a real credit to an actor who takes his job seriously. Ware is a complete RIOT to witness through his role as D.A. Sam Marcum, arguably one of the most evidently shady, sleazy, and manipulative individuals one could meet. Pursuing his own warped agendas much less while dodging Dean’s efforts to expose him, Sam soon discovers that keeping secrets, ruining lives, and attempting to HIDE it doesn’t always work out like you’d hoped. Ware just embodies this kind of overtly weasely personality to a “T”, playing Marcum with such gleeful brashness and bravado that you are unavoidably laughing at AND hating the character at the same time.Marcum’s the exemplification of everything WRONG with the legal system, and it is pure ELATION to view Ware’s highly noteworthy performance as this all-encompassing CAD!
Primary supporting roles are LEGION in ensemble cast films like this, and when they mesh together, it is a dream to watch them perform as a unit. This was assuredly present here, first through Garr (who channels his inner Samuel Jackson! LOVE it!) as Dean’s “fixer”/lead investigator Stu, a portrait of unshakable loyalty to his longstanding boss and whose personality wins you over without any effort at all, whether in mirth or muddle. Amy Zubieta plays Kat, a friend and colleague of Dean’s at his LDO office who may or may not have a lingering interest that could likewise be shared. I totally fell for Zubieta here as the actress plays the character so down-to-earth, so REAL, that it’s really hard NOT to be enamored and cheering for a possible link-up between the characters. Sean Greenhouse plays Brad, Dean’s smarmy and self-centered boss who certainly proves he doesn’t belong in ANY leadership position that isn’t just handed to him via favors.
Greenhouse does a fantastic job of playing this kind of character who you cannot deny MIGHT have some redeeming qualities or is otherwise another scoundrel with too much ambition. Rosanna Pfeifer is Susie, Marcum’s assistant D.A. who is under the microscope (and perhaps under MORE than that!) for a murder that Dean believes she committed even as the LAST person in the world who should be defending her IS doing so. Susan Gallagher is Chief Judge Alexandra Kane, a woman of power and influence (for good or bad, TBD??) who has her own plans involving Marcum and Brad. I fully enjoyed the confident aura Gallagher puts into this character, someone we aren’t always sure we can or cannot trust when it comes to political aspirations and how you get there! Eugene Bofill is Joe, Marcum’s equivalent of Stu, who more than makes his presence known when things start to get dicey between Dean and Marcum as things start unraveling for Marcum.
Bill Kennedy is a total exercise in hilarity through his appearances as Paranoid Perry, a local man who Dean and Stu often run into at their favorite bar and who just spews conspiracy theories left and right, earning his name here quite effectively! Liz Dole is Dean’s wife Laura with whom he shares both deep love for and deep pain with, which could spell the end of their union if not resolved. Josie DiVincenzo is Det. Miller, a cop whose past involvement with the events at hand could prove a turning point for Dean’s investigation. Mary Rachel Quinn is Dinah, the lawyer who ends up having the “wonderful” privilege of being contracted by Marcum to be his supposed weapon in aiding Susie for her seemingly impossible situation to avoid a murder charge. Will it work? Watch and find out!
Additional supporting appearances are made en masse and via well-played acting chops by John Patrick Patti (who makes a REAL impression for his screen time!), Bill Benn, Brett Puglisi, Verniece Turner, Sadako Leta, Harold Octavius Jacob, DonnaMarie Vaughan, Mark Mendola, Susan Plotkin, Joe Sciammarella, Jo O’Donnell, Roselyn Kasmire, Autumn Mirassou, Hal Strickland, Robert Sciglimpaglia, Ray H. O’Neal Jr., Gail Pitterman, and Paul Antonio. Seriously everyone, JOB WELL DONE! So, in total, “One Of The Good Ones” delivers precisely what one should want out of an independent film…character and story -driven brilliance that isn’t pretentious nor feels contrived, melodramatic, or trying to be anything else than what it is. THAT is a GOOD thing! It’s a story that resonates, provides a profusion of sheer fun AND a persuasive core that showcases what doing the right thing, even when it still might cost us, is NEVER a bad choice to see JUSTICE.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
