Vincenzo (2021)

I found it to have a really slow at the start but then BOOOOOOM

Was looking for a different genre of drama to watch. you know, something like a breather. And SJK and JYB were the main casts so more the reason to watch.

The first few episodes, I was trying to grasp what's the main plot and for me, I found the first few episodes a little bit too slow in terms of phasing. So I started to question whether or not this was worth the 20 episodes. Because you know, even for some dramas, 16 eps is a bit too long if the plot was static.

But then after episode 3 everything started making sense for me. Bit by bit the story gets more and more dynamic and before I knew it I was hooked.

Vincenzo is not really a perfect drama, it has its loopholes. One of which is that, they keep branding the male protagonist as a "psycho" but they kept on portraying him as someone who is capable of emotions, which is really contradicting. But you know what, overall I'm willing to turn a blind eye on those small loopholes because the charms of this drama outweighs them.

The ending was really satisfying. It was literally brutal. But anything else would have been a dishonor to the "mafia" image that they kept on building up since the first episode. It was sad to see Jang Han Seo die but I think if they all lived in the end, it would've been too good to be true.

Anyway, I'm not sure if this drama will get a S2. If it does, I hope Netflix does a fine job on it.

Kudos to everyone!!!!!

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Compelling plot and execution (litteraly) with lots of laughs

This drama's stars are without doubt the Writer and Director, without whom this sterling cast could not have so well displayed their mettle.
And to say that the behind the scenes 'actors' nearly outshine those on the screen is no small accolade. The performances are without exception outstanding, from the main stars, to each minor character. However, the quality of plotting and slick production allow them to shine.
Vincenzo himself is a dark and disgusting character, but the writers along with Song Joon Ki manage to present him only as a reasonable and skilled man using extreme measures to achieve natural justice, or to simply do business with brutal men. Somehow they manage to conceal his brutality behind that beautiful face, elegant frame, great clothes and impeccable manners. And while doing this build in many moments of pure comedy.
A man embittered by his youth, and out only for his own gain, he comes to Korea to collect a massive cache of gold, intending to make a surgical strike and leave pronto to return to Italy. But, as soon as he lands in Korea, the whole eccentric timbre of the film sets in, and he finds himself in a ridiculous situation of immense comedic punch. He was lucky he was left with his designer suit on - I'd have left him in his underwear ... or swapped it for my own clothes, and sold it! But, then, given the visual potential I might have opted for just the underwear...
He's faced with a deeper dilemma than simply sorting out his wardrobe though - nothing goes as he planned. He has to deal with threats from developers, a collection of hapless and helpless tenants who consistently frustrate his plans, and of course, the benevolent lawyer devoted to helping the underdog (who we all know pays peanuts) against their chaebol aggressors, while facing determined criticism from his lawyer daughter who acts for those very oppressors. And then there's that damn pigeon stopping him from getting a night's sleep!
The Mafioso and the Lawyer strike up a friendship, a death leads to an alliance between Consigliere and the daughter, and the plot hits its stride. And the pigeon comes in surprisingly handy at a crucial moment, too.
The brutality is brutal, and made more so by the elements of psychopathy in the main villains - each of whom has their own well developed personalities - which also at time make them the butt of humour. But most of the violence is suggested rather than painted bloody in your face. Most of the victims are the bad guys - though the good guys do get hurt. The threat and violence are extremely finely judged. Somehow the writers and actors manage to provide a "hero" who is a murderer but remains a sympathetic character.
Our female lead is elegant and beautiful, able to look after herself and brave in the face of real risk to her life. She is also mildly insane - a complete clown, throwing herself into extravagant gestures and bodily contortions to cast contempt or humour at her opposition. She uses her body like a wild child dancing in the rain - but at some quite inappropriate moments, which is hilarious to watch. But fiercely intelligent, supposedly making the courtroom her playroom as she defeats villainous lawyers with virtually no material to work with. I'd say that every courtoom scene is simply played for laughs. I can;t think of any actres who could have carried this off so well as Jeon Yeo Bin.
Other characters in the new Korean "Cassano family" slowly reveal their true natures as gifted fighters, organisers, and including a computer hacker who could not be more serendipitously placed, nor more essential. They blossom and realise that they had not formerly known their own strength. They appear to become a warm and supportive family. This was rather lovely, not because of the family metaphor, but because drooping, trembling, weak people grew into themselves - and that permitted their relationships to deepen.
Thank goodness the predictable romance developing between Vincenzo and Cha Young was muted, and remained so to the end. They are a beautiful pair, but their roles in the plot remained unencumbered by neediness between them. He respected her autonomy and she somehow accepted him as he was, a mafia thug, using his skills for his own ends, but in the process working for a good cause in Korea. That tolerance of each other's autonomy is pretty rare in Korean Dramas - the trope being that a man shows his developing feelings by being possessive, demanding and bossy and the woman starts being huffy and jealous. A nice relief!
Yes, there were some clichés, but they were minimal. There are many plot twists and setbacks, and many dark moments amid the bonhomie of the tenants association and the wacky humour. You might think the humour in such a drama would be dark Well, I didn't find it so. Sometimes it was defiant, sometimes ridiculous, but I never thought it was just plastered onto a situation either. The greatest originality in this drama is its use of humour which always comes as a surprise and a joy.
At a time in which Korea is releasing a particularly rich crop of dramas, this one seems to be, rightly, dominating the screens. I don't think I have ever awarded marks as high as this for any other drama. It deserves every accolade.

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‘Un diavolo scaccia l’altro' that means ‘A devil punishes another devil.’

AS THE HEADLINE SAY, THERE'S NO HERO. EVERYONE IS EVIL AND THAT'S MAKE THE STORY MORE INTERESTING TO WATCH!!

Firstly I wanna say, Don't judge a drama just by our reviews, because NO DRAMA CAN FULFILL EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS!!! Just remember this and we all like/dislike/drop the drama only bcz of our interest and mood.

Those who love a drama which has lots of twist and turns, mixture of different genres then you'll definitely gonna like this drama.

Coming to the story line, then according to my pov, I must say this drama will grow on you, the more you'll watch the episodes. The story is a slow burn but each scene will make an impact ( as I have said it's a mixture of diff genres). The story is unpredictable to think what will happen in next episode. Everyone has their own way to win the battle and I must say this is the best thing they have portrayed in this drama that no one is perfect and if someone has done something wrong, then that person should be punished by having the same thing done to them. And that's what I'm gonna call the theme of this drama.

The characters are so fitted for this story. Each character has something unique and also has a very great importance and you will get to know when you will watch the episodes. From being totally suspicious/crazy to becoming a part of something big, you'll see the growth of each character and will fall in love with each character originality.

I'm not gonna exaggerate more about this drama freshness and creativeness because I believe if I'll do, it will loose it's own charm. Just wanna say go and experience it in your own way!!

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a bit biased reviews

first of all, i am a fan of Song Joong Ki and when i watch this drama i feel a little anxious about the outcome because i’m expecting it to be loved. I don’t underestimate the quality they will give viewers, but more to i was worried i’m expecting it too high. I follow the drama on-going and i worried if there many bad reviews but then it turns Vincenzo got it on the top list. so many low rating i’ve read but overall this one have 9 point in here is good enough. Ofcourse i feel so happy but storywise, some scene is a bit exaggerated. the romance they try to put also feels a bit vague though i still can accept it. well, it is like both male and female lead is great at chemistry but there still obvious space to reach the “click” point for main lead. Overall, this drama is fine and fun to watch. behind the story videos amazing too.

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Definitely a masterpiece.

I saw this kdrama in April 2023, but I'm just now writing a review. And I think it's a good thing, because some time has passed, but Vincenzo remains in my heart forever.
It was something unique and special.
I was still at the beginning of watching kdramas and this series gave me a unique perspective on them.
My honest opinion is that it can be different for each person, but for me Vincenzo was the best series I've seen in my life and the cast, the story, the background music, the locations, the acting were absolutely brilliant.
From the very first scenes you feel a vibe of a special series, and the mafia idea was an absolutely magnificent one, the actor Song Joong-Ki perfectly suited his role and did something special. I see this series as unique compared to all the others, it really has a totally special vibe.

This series also teaches us some important things about evil, corruption, friendship, trust, intelligence, revenge and the list goes on.

Especially the scenes at the end of the series seemed to me to have a strong message despite the fact that it is only a fictional story.

Again, the role of Vincenzo is the most badass and intelligent I've ever seen, and I think it was a perfect role for this series.
Let's not forget the fact that this kdrama had everything. Comedy, drama, action, revenge, friendship, justice. But this idea of ​​mafia and revenge were invincible.
There are people who haven't seen anything interesting in this Kdrama, but I think it's worth trying until the end, it really is something unique.
I recommend everyone who has not seen it to try it, there will certainly be people who will feel the same unique energy before, during and after watching this series. All the actors were wonderful, and Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young were an extremely suitable couple, both as roles and as actors.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this series: please, give it a chance! I will never forget this kdrama, I will probably remember it forever and I will go back to see it again for I don't know how many times in the future. It had an important meaning in my life, I felt a change in life after watching this series. It seems ridiculous, but probably all kdrama fans know that these series give you unique emotions. I don't have all the ideas at the moment, there would be a lot to say, but I tried to be as precise as possible. I hope this review helps someone!

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Don't mess with the pidgeons!

This show was very enjoyable to watch. Super binge-able and it wonderfully straddled the line between serious and silly. The important moments hit hard but there were also some very funny (and some absolutely hilarious) moments of comedic relief to lighten the mood.

The acting was fantastic all across the board, from the leads, to the villains, to the all of the tenants. Same with the directing. There were so many beautifully framed, visually interesting, dynamic scenes. And the writing, with the dark/fun duality, the surprising twists and reveals, the slow character-arc builds, and pretty much all the episodes ending in mild and not so mild cliffhangers, kept me hooked throughout.

And shout-out for having a hot, young villain! That should definitely become more of a trend 😂.

P. S. I'm still very new to Korean, but I'm so confused why the show is called 빈센조 (bin-sen-jo) and not 빈첸소 (bin-chen-so) which is actually much closer to the Italian pronunciation of the name. If the Korean alphabet has the necessary phonemes to very closely pronounce the name as it is in its native language, then why "koreanize" it to sound different?

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Leverage

If you enjoyed the American show Leverage then this will more than satisfy yopur viewing needs. After reading all the bad reviews I decided top give it a shot anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The acting was good and the plot has more than enough twists to keep you interested until the very end. The second lead was evil personified I love Taceyeon anyway but seeing him as a villian like this was the first time for me. I highly recommend that you ignore the bad reviews and judge for yourself. The female lead can be a bit annoying but she does provide great comedic relief in tense situations JUst watch it okay and you will not be disappointed.

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Funny, dark and bitter sweet.

Well! Where to start?
This drama honestly has it all. It wasn't quite what I was expecting either.
There's edge of your seat threat, violence, manipulation, deceit, blackmail, bullying and murder. That's balanced by laugh out loud humour, trust, loyalty, friendships and a bitter sweet plot.
Copious amounts of retribution are divinely dished out too.
Some truly awful characters and many I loved.
I wasn't keen on the lead female character (played by Jeon Yeo Bin) at first, but she quickly grew on me, with her quirky antics. SJK was sublime as Vincenzo and I loved Kwak Dong-yeon in this; he really made Han Seo come to life. A very different role for Ok Taecyeon too, so well portrayed.
The entire cast, who seem made to work so well together, were perfectly matched to their roles.
Clever story with twists, turns and some shocking moments. I also shed a few tears.
A superb watch.

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Ok Taecyeon and Kim Yeojin steal the show

This drama, to be fair to it, is entertaining, funny, a bit over the top, but overall a good watch. Will definitely recommened to someone who wants a breezy chill watch after a particularly dark and exhausting drama.
BUT OMG I HAVE TO SAY OK TAECYEON IS BRILLIANT.!! KIM YEOJIN IS JUST A WHOLE REVELATION. I've never seen either of their works before so this was my first seeing them onscreen and I was not disappointed! The menace these 2 exude, and that too with CLASS.
I have to say, these 2 outshone everyone else in the show, in my opinion. After I finished the show I went and watched the Behind the scene videos, the whiplash is REAL. Ok Taecyeon is basically a puppy irl, but such a villain in the drama??? I will genuinely re-watch it just for him.
When their characters died, I felt immense satisfaction because I hated those characters so much!! That's a huge testament to any villain role actor
Great job, Kim Yeojin and Ok Taecyeon

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