For Tom Paolino, “One of the Good Ones” is more than a film.
The lead actor and executive producer describes the project as the “highlight” of his life, but behind that excitement is something deeper: a story about justice, grief, forgiveness and the choices people make when life does not go according to plan.
Speaking to “The National” at the Killarney CineCentre in Johannesburg this week ahead of the film’s official Joburg premiere, Paolino spoke passionately about the years of work behind the independent crime comedy-drama and what he hopes South African audiences will take from it.
“Being one of the good ones means everything,” he explained.
“It means family, principles, soul, comedy, entertainment. It means the fruition of a dream, overcoming adversity and being a beacon of hope and inspiration to the world. That’s what we’re doing with this.”
Directed by Julie O’Hara, “One of the Good Ones” stars Paolino alongside Susan Gallagher, Jacob A. Ware, and Amy Zubieta.
Inspired by true events from the Lawyer’s Discipline Office and based on Vincent Scarsella’s “Lawyers Gone Bad” book series, the film follows Dean Alessi (Paolino), an honest prosecutor in Buffalo, New York, tasked with holding corrupt and unethical attorneys accountable.
But Alessi’s pursuit of justice is also deeply personal.
His passion intensifies after his son is killed by a drunk driver, and the person responsible has wealth and influence within the community.
For Paolino, his character's determination is something he resonated deeply with.
“There is a lot of me in this,” he said.
“What is ordinarily a passion for justice is a passion for justice on steroids for Dean Alessi.”
Paolino added that he shares that strong sense of justice, particularly at a time when events around the world can leave people feeling powerless.
“I love people. I love the world. I hate seeing what is happening in the world today and I really want to be part of the solution.”
Yet “One of the Good Ones” is not simply interested in justice as punishment. Paolino believes its message also lies in how people respond to grief, betrayal, and anger.
“Grief is not an excuse for violence,” he said.
For him, forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciliation. Instead, it can be a way of freeing yourself from the weight of what someone else has done.
“You have to forgive. It doesn’t mean you have to hang out with that person but set yourself free with some forgiveness.”
The philosophy appears to have extended beyond the story and into the making of the film.
Paolino said assembling the project ultimately came down to finding the right team and creating a culture built around service rather than status.
“I found people who were not driven by ego or fame, but service, and that is in the movie. You can feel it.”
That collaborative approach meant ideas could come from anywhere.
Paolino recalled how an intern suggested giving the main character trauma in his past that would intensify his passion for justice - an idea that eventually became part of the character.
“It’s not about hierarchy for me. It’s more about teamwork and collaboration, and you never know where the gold is going to come from.”
That belief was particularly important when it came to getting the independent film made.
Funding is one of the biggest obstacles facing emerging filmmakers, and Paolino does not dismiss how difficult that reality can be. His approach, however, was to act as though making the film was never in question.
“I understand the statistics, and I’m not denying facts, but let’s go and see what happens,” he said.
“A lot of it goes into the story you tell yourself, and the story we told ourselves was: we’re making this film, and that is all there is to it.”
His advice to filmmakers trying to get their own projects off the ground is similarly decisive: set the date.
“If you are a film-maker, set a date where you are shooting the movie and you will be amazed at how the universe conspires to make that happen.”
Now that “One of the Good Ones” has made its way to South Africa, Paolino hopes local audiences arrive without preconceived ideas about what they are about to see.
“I have been praying about this, actually,” he said.
“My hope is that South Africans come into the theatre with an open mind and an open heart, setting aside everything they think they know about Hollywood and America and the legal system, and just be open to a new experience.”
Paolino, who lives in New York City, said he feels a particular connection with South Africa and the sense of possibility he has experienced in Johannesburg.
“There is this feeling of creation, and that is the feeling I get here. We’re figuring it out here in South Africa, and we’re figuring it out together, and I love that.”
And the film may only be the beginning.
Paolino's ultimate ambition is to turn “One of the Good Ones” into a television series, allowing the world and the team behind it to develop over several seasons.
“We built such cohesion in just a few weeks on the movie,” he said.
“I get very passionate about what kind of cohesion we will get if we get a TV series over the course of five or six seasons - the writers’ room, the actors, the crew. What will that be like?”
Where that series could eventually be made remains open.
“Who knows? It might be in America, it might be in South Africa. I don’t know,” Paolino said.
What he does know is that, much like the film before it, he has already decided it will happen.
“There is no Plan B. We are making a TV series called ‘One of the Good Ones’.”
It is a conviction that returns to the idea Paolino believes sits at the centre of both the film and his own life: integrity.
“The solution is to keep promises,” he said.
“When you are in your integrity, you are in your alignment, and things flow. People get along, you can work together, you can love and live and cooperate and enjoy life.
“So it starts and ends with integrity. At least, that is my experience of it.”
karishma.dipa@nationalmg.co.za