Movie Review: ‘One of the Good Ones’ – Searching for Integrity in a Broken System

It’s hard to look at the judicial system anywhere in the world today and immediately think of fairness and justice. Too many stories of corruption, backroom deals, and moral compromise have chipped away at that belief. You almost begin to assume that anyone operating within the system must be complicit in its decay. Almost, because somewhere in that machinery, there are still a few who try to do right.

Julie O’Hora’s indie legal drama/comedy ‘One of the Good Ones‘, co-written with Vincent Scarsella and based on his novel ‘Lawyers Gone Bad‘, tries its best to convince you that such people still exist.

Set in Buffalo, the film follows Dean Alessi (played by Tom Paolino), an attorney in the Buffalo Lawyer Disciplinary Office whose job is to hold other lawyers accountable. In a system corrupted by politics, greed, and sex, Dean has made it his life’s mission to help clean house. And as you would expect, this doesn’t make him popular. In fact, it is what isolates him.

Dean is a man stitched together by conviction and quiet grief. Years after losing his son in a drunk-driving accident, neither he nor his wife has truly healed. The tragedy lingers on for them and has put a strain on their marriage, yet this personal pain hasn’t compromised him.

When Dean becomes convinced that a corrupt District Attorney is involved in murder, an ultimate ethical violation, his crusade escalates. With the help of his loyal ally and private investigator Stu (Roderick Garr), he digs deeper as bodies begin to pile up. The stakes grow heavier, and so does the cost of integrity.

The film has all the markings of a typical indie production made on a tight budget. The sets feel dated and antiquated, not in a deliberate stylistic way, but in a way that suggests convenience over design. It’s clear the crew used what was available to them. To their credit, they use those resources effectively enough to keep the story moving. Nothing feels grand, but nothing completely falls apart either.

The narrative itself isn’t particularly complex. You won’t find labyrinthine twists or jaw-dropping reveals. But what it does, it handles competently. The legalities are woven into the story without becoming suffocating or overly technical. It understands that the audience wants tension, not a lecture.  

The comedic beats might not hit as hard as you would expect, but they are there. There is also the theme of love, and a new beginning for Dean when another woman starts to show interest in him.

One of the film’s stronger devices is Dean’s occasional voiceover narration. Toward the end, he poses a question that feels like the moral backbone of the story: “When did civil service become self-service?” That line lands. It captures not just his personal ethos, but the frustration many feel about institutions designed to protect the public yet often serving themselves instead.

Still, the film never fully transcends its limitations. The tonal blend of legal drama and light comedy is serviceable but not particularly bold. It doesn’t take enough risks to elevate itself beyond modest indie territory. The characters are earnest, the performances are good enough, but the emotional and narrative punches don’t hit as hard as they could.

That said, ‘One of the Good Ones‘ doesn’t promise you more than it can deliver. And in that sense, it doesn’t disappoint either. It’s a decent indie effort with a clear heart and a straightforward message about integrity in compromised spaces. And for that, I would score it 5.5/10.

If you’re in the mood for a grounded indie legal drama with light comedic touches and a moral centre, ‘One of the Good Ones‘ will be released on Prime Video this March, with subsequent availability on YouTube and Google Play. Add it to your watch list; you might just find yourself believing, if only for a moment, that there are still some good ones left.