Vincenzo (2021)

Bravo! Everyone!

Bravo! to director Park Jae Bu, whose memorable camera shots I'll never forget.
Bravo! to screenwriter Kim Hee Won, who gave us some unforgettable lines that Vincenzo said, especially at the end of episode 20.
Bravo! The classical music in the background which added a lot of depth to the scenes.
Bravo! Song Joong-Ki for his unforgettable performance as a mafioso. His face is still imprinted in my brain.
Brava! Jeon Yeo Bin for giving us an unusual performance throughout the series from a pugnacious to a more understanding one.
Bravo! Ok Taec Yeon who gave us an unbelievable psycho performance with those mischievous eyes of his.
Bravo! Kwak Dong Yeon who gave us an incredible acting job from start to finish
Bravo! All the supporting cast, who gave us the richness we all enjoyed.
And finally Bravo! to Netflix for giving us all a special opportunity to watch Vincenzo.

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Perfect mix of dark drama and comedy

Vincenzo is a unique series that mixes comedy and dark drama to make something truly entertaining. It gave me a balance between laugh out loud moments, moments I had to cry, and moments that were exciting and action packed.
Each side was making moves like a chess game and everyone had a plan to surprise viewers.
I loved the friendship amongst the group of residents at the plaza and the main characters. They quickly hop in the help Vincenzo because of how much they love him and the Hong family.
I saw some reviews where they didn’t love the comedy, and honestly, it comes down to personal taste. I personally LOVED it. The contrast between the gloomy dramatics and the ridiculous comedy, fan service, and characters like the chef was refreshing. If you want a drama that is realistic in humor and plot, this isn’t for you.
I will say that some of the violence was over done and there are story lines the drama could have really emphasized and explored. I wanted to see more of Vincenzo’s personal relationships, personal development, and more about his time in Italy. But I’m giving this drama a 10/10 because it was truly a unique and thrilling experience from beginning to end.

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What?

I started this before and dropped it at three episodes but i thought maybe the was something wrong with me, my state of mind, or something. So i gave it some time and tried again. This time i got farther-- episode six-- but now I'm going to permanently give up.

I don't know how this could get such high ratings. The plot is absurd. Why would he fight so hard to keep this building? Just move the gold, which is what they end up doing anyway...

The acting was pretty bad. I love Song Joongki, but the character gave him nothing but deadpan looks and flat emotions to play with. Deadly and tough is great but it gets pretty dull after a few episodes. The actor that played the father of the FL was great and i liked the lead gang guy with the curly hair, but that was pretty much it for good acting. Everyone else was just so overplayed or dull.

It went out of its way to make SJK look cool but without the emotion to back it up, there's just no soul to it. With such flat characters, it really needed a great plot to keep you interested but it didn't have that either.

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So. Much. Fun

I have to admit I was a bit lost at the beginning. I started watching thinking it was going to be a crime series and after the first episode I was completely lost and about to drop the whole thing. But as often, I keep watching just in case it picks up. And then the whole comedy aspect hit me and I started to laugh. Hard. I love the whole thing. The lead team with both lead actors is top notch. They are a real power couple. They don’t do too much or too little and their comedy timing is impeccable. Vincenzo’s base story is just an alibi for the whole series and I think I’ve got a few ideas on how this whole thing is going To wrap.
Now, the villain. I remember watching Taec yon as a cute ghostbuster all sweet and things but seeing him as a villain filled me with joy. You can clearly see he’s enjoying the whole experience.
The rest of the cast can’t be left aside as they are, I think for the first time in a long time, quite an important part of the story. I usually skip and get bored by sub plots but here it all makes sense and I’m having a lot of fun.
Each episode brings laughter and derision. So have a go. You’ll tell me “grazie” later

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Beautifully Written

The first episode had me hooked. The opening scene was beautiful. The characters were awesome. The acting was great, but I was worried on how they will be able to keep the essence of these characters true throughout the show. There was a very fine balance walking along the dark side and the light side (law). If you had these worries, let me tell you know that this show kept true with the characters even as they developed.

The biggest complaint that I have heard is how annoying the female lead is. I agree at the very beginning I thought she was annoying and was really worried that she would be the damsel in distress. This changed when I realized that she is a professional lawyer who has a temper and does not give a f*** about people's opinions. She mocks peoples to see them flounder about and reveal their weakness. She uses that to her advantage. In terms of her world views, they are very gray at the end of the day. I won't lie her character is always something I am worried about turning into the typical FL, but so far this show has not disappointed me with her presentation.

Every actor in this show really knows their characters. I never really think about this while watching this drama, but you can totally tell the dedication and effort these actors are putting into this show.

Overall, this show walks on a fine line the entire time of being a great hit or the next Game of Thrones, so far this show has me hooked at episode 10 and the balancing act has been real. This show is a breath of fresh air that I have been craving for in this sea of very similar plots.

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Having already watched at least two, wait... FOUR of Park Jaebum's earlier works, I have to say that I'm really looking forward to watching this recent project. Not to mention that this drama had Song Joongki and had a hint of a mafia theme, it sounded like the drama would be a lot of fun to watch.

While I wouldn't want to criticise other's choice in their preferences in watching the kind of drama that they want to see, I have to say that if there was any opinion to be made about this drama... you might as well need to keep watching till the end before making any strong opinion about it. Having completed Fiery Priest and quite a bit of Chief Kim, I've grown to be fond of Park Jaebum's style of comedy as well as writing.

Since this drama is still ongoing, it'll be pretty rash to make any conclusion on whether it was good or bad just because certain episodes may move a bit too slowly or too boring to some. In fact, personally, I felt that that the current pacing is just fine. A good story plot doesn't have to always have to be bombastic all the time in order to be good. It needs to have its ups and downs and even more important it needs to have a good plot and character development in order to give a good story. Or else, the story wouldn't be very memorable in the long run. And this series is a black comedy, yes but it is not makjang.

That said, I was pretty intrigued to find quite a few interesting similarities and parallels between the two main characters of Vincenzo to the two main characters of Fiery Priest. And I have to say, as long as Park Jaebum keep up the good writing and pace as he did for his earlier works that are of the same genre one can look forward to a great story.

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The first few eps were really boring and disappointed me but after that, every episode was better and more amazing than the one before it. This is one of the few dramas where I literally clapped my hands when the characters did something badass or won and cried when beloved characters died.
I did expect more of the FL tbh. I expected her to be very badass, smart, upfront and as she was the best lawyer in her agency, I expected her to have more connections and to fix things herself, but Vincenzo is the one that planned 99/100 of things, the one that killed, questioned, saved, used connections. And while I understand that the consigliere of the Italian Mafia is a whole other league than a Korean lawyer, I still expected more. The casting was perfect but I think they didn't portray emotions that well, but I understand that it's more of an action dark comedy than a romance, melodrama, or whatever. She was extremely good as a character but a side character not a main honestly. Cause in my opinion she should've achieved more on her own than just follow Vincenzo's orders.

That aside: The music was amazing. This is the first drama where the music had my complete attention and the first time I liked the whole soundtrack!
Vincenzo is a badass to the bone and I liked how he always had shit under control. and if he didn't he always found a way to win. he was protective of his friends and family and he was deservingly well-liked.
Plus he is handsome

I loved how the ppl that lived in the plaza were all secretly talented and how loyal they are. There were many things I did not expect from who the villain is to who the secret hacker is to the trackers put in Chairman Jung's watches. Loved the time skip in the last episode and it was a really good conclusion to the whole series.
It was extremely entertaining even tho some things could've been better. Some scenes were also really funny and I liked the friendships in the drama. Tho I did hope for more indication or like the tension between Vincenzo and Cha young. Cause I felt deep friendship, protectiveness, loyalty, and true love with 2 kisses but didn't really feel the romance. There was a mutual attraction which was sooo CUTEE. and all the gifts they gave each other ahhh so cutee

Anyway, a bunch of smart funny talented sassy experienced people come together to take down their disgustingly greedy enemies, what more could we ask for?

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Best Kdrama I’ve watched

I have been watching a lot of Kdramas for a while now, and when I started Vincenzo, I didn’t feel like it was that good for the first 3 episodes. However, I kept watching because it was pretty funny and I loved the way it was shot, I had faith in it. It started getting really good all of the sudden and when it ended I literally couldn’t get over it. It has really raised my standards for Kdramas and every Kdrama lover should watch it. The cast has great chemistry together, which made the acting really good in the show. Even the villains are such great actors that I couldn’t even hate them. The drama has everything like action, romance, plot twists and humor, it is really amazing.

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Everybody thinks this is a Rom/Com with some Action & Law drama. WRONGGGG. MINOR SPOILE

Everybody thinks this is a Rom/Com with some Action & Law drama. WRONGGGG.

This is a story about Serial Killers (sociopaths) . Its a Horror* Crime drama with some comedy and bad romance even worse who done(sic) it Mystery. The Genre tags should read: Horror, Serial Killers, Crime, Law, Romance, Comedy, Thriller/Mystery

* Horror - Slasher type and not Supernatural. Think more like Saw rather than Final Destination

I think I just felt bad how morally corrupt (murder/blackmail etc) all the main characters were and How thoroughly I enjoyed the show because of it. This fact made me question mine & wider audiences' morality.

E.g. They murdered a van full of people incl. a child & the FL dad was murdered but the sow still flows from this darkness to comedy, flirting. However, I enjoyed this change of pace & kept it from being a doom & gloom fest, but felt guilty in after thought.

The show is a masterpiece of people giving in to their killing urges and not even trying to justify they have a conscience, all while keeping the audience hooked. If you watch the show, with the frame of mind that this is a tragedy drama, rather than a romcom, I wonder if you will have a different out look to mine and many others who enjoyed the show.

However, this show lacks in the romance category, especially as the leads had great chemistry. A Suave international criminal mastermind/hitman with a law degree struggles to confess his feelings throughout the show, made for lacklustre viewing and in need of some romantic spark.

This is a show that effortlessly flows from cold blooded murder, revenge to comedy and romance for 16 episodes without blinking an eye/missing a beat; this is The Godfather with its own special Korean Sauce mixed in.

This is why I love Kdrama. lol


Rating:
Overall 8.5
Story 9 - Considering its about Serial Killers disguised as a Rom/Com/Action..pure genius
Production 6 - They could have stepped up the Rom in Rom/Com
Acting 8 - Serial Killers blending into society as normal functioning people, totally had me fooled. They were only glitchy during the Rom part.
OST 6 - Did its job but nothing memorable
Visual FX 5 - Meh

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I feel hollow. But not in a bad way. I feel like I've been watching this show for years (I know it wasn't. Lol) so I feel way to attached to all of these characters.

I admit when I first started this show, I was not in to it -- at all. It just isn't my kind of thing, Never has been, but I had someone behind me, pushing me to keep watching and I'm so glad they did! I got hooked so fast, I felt like I was losing my mind waiting for new episodes. Lol I was so worried about this show and it's ending, I just wanted it to keep going forever.

If you have been eyeing this show, I'm telling you, YOU NEED TO WATCH IT!! There was never a dull episode (even if you're like me and it's not your thing, this show might actually change your mind). I always felt like I just got off a rollercoaster when a episode was over.

(honestly right now, my thoughts are scattered -- I just have constant screaming in my head since the last episode)

Everything about this show was unique for me and so intense! All of the characters were mastered perfectly by those who played them. It changed my views on so many actors. Like, they played their parts so well I know I need to step away and calm down for a bit. But I love that. I love when a actor plays the part so well. It just shows how talented they are!

I know some people have a issue with this har mafia guy suddenly teaming up with strangers and helping them (I questioned it at first two) but I loved seeing how cold he was at first, only for him to later really seem them as his family. I loved seeing this story progress the way it did. I get it's not for everyone, but it really made the whole show better that way. I loved that by the end, he really did pretty much have his own little mafia. Lol

I loved the comedy that was squeezed in some places to help lighten the mood when it really needed it, I don't think any of them were misplaced or pointless. I really feel like they were perfect and added more to the story. With everything going on I'm glad they had that or I think most of us would have either cried ourselves to death or had heart attacks. Hahah

THAT ENDING!! Omg. The last two episodes in general had me sobbing my eyes out. I don't even know what to say about them. There was so much raw emotion and it was .... brutal, honestly. But so worth it. I wouldn't change anything about them. But I really am curious if there will be a season 2 or not. They ended it in such a way that it could go either way. It's been a long time since I've seen a show like that. Usually it's pretty cut and dry about which way it could go but this one, they really were like "well... we might and we might not" and I can't even get mad at it because it's still a great ending. Lol All the tears were worth it!!

I'm sure I'll come back later to update this once my brain stops screaming. Haha

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Every episode just got more and more perfection

Without a doubt my favorite series of this year and one of my favorites forever, I know that it is early in the year to make a statement of this caliber, however, after watching so many series you know when you are in the presence of an anomaly and for me Vincenzo is practically perfect in all departments, besides that in a very subjective way the story totally captured me and I think that's why it took me so long to write this review because once it is done I have to accept that it is really over.

To start the story, wow and what a story, there was literally not a single chapter that did not make me nervous and excited about what was happening, in general terms it is the story of an Italian mobster who returns to his country of origin (Korea) to to beat a large corporation, by means that we could not call fair, but deep down it is much more.

One of the themes that the series touches throughout the season is the family, Vincenzo since childhood has survived in the world practically alone, we do not know so much about his life in Italy but we are given to understand that his adoptive family was murdered, so that for many years he depended solely on his intelligence to survive a hostile world (considering that he was not even in his own homeland), in addition to getting involved in the mafia the ties he could develop with other people were increasingly reduced, when he come to Korea, all the walls and schemes that he had built around him were slowly collapsed one by one, in Korea people wanted to be close to him, they supported him and a bond of mutual need was created between them, little by little we experienced how Vincenzo has that need to protect who he loves and how he is going to become fond of all the inhabitants of Plaza Geumga and some other external characters.

Another of the topics widely followed by the series is redemption, something very important is that Vincenzo is an antihero and although we pretend that some of his actions are justified, the reality is that he mostly plays below the legal limits, when you have a character like this, generally there are two paths that can be followed: the total redemption of the character, most of which end with his death in a great act of sacrifice for a just cause; or on the contrary, the total submersion in moral decay, where most of the character breaks those self-imposed rules that connected him to his humanity; Vincenzo on the other hand chooses a third path, what if you sink them a little more and at the same time give him redemption? In such a way that towards the end the character continues to maintain his balance between justice and decadence and continues to be an Antihero however, this antihero is not the same as we had at the beginning, there is an evolution, a development and a series of decisions that transform the world of the character and that also transform his environment.

The series takes that path and does it in a masterful way, the great thesis of this moment is in the last conversation that Vincenzo has with the older monk Jeok Ha, in the end Vincenzo cannot redeem everything he has done, his impact on him world is undeniable, however his fight against cruelty is also there, and he will forever have to live with the weight of his decisions and the most interesting thing is that he does, genuinely his actions weigh on him, he is full of guilt and These actions are reflected in the type of person he is, it seems that this point is obvious, but no, there are an absurd amount of stories that give us characters "with complex pasts" but at the time of the hour they are just anecdotes the impact they have on the lives of the characters.

I will not deny that initially I believed that the only way to conclude the series was with the death of Vincenzo, however the ending they decided for the series seems to me the most acceptable of all, it is not a happy ending, it is not even an ending, everything that happened in the series was one more event in his life and although he changed it in many ways, he still has a path to follow and he will still have to continue living with everything he did and with everything he caused, maybe one day I even have to face the consequences, we don't know.

The villain of this series is another of his great successes, it is true that by the end of the series it is more or less obvious that he pales in front of Vincenzo (not only because the latter is too intelligent but also because he is a mobster made and right and knows how to play his game), but regardless of that, Jang Junwoo is a very well built villain we know what it takes to understand his way of thinking, his lack of compassion and his purposes, for him everything is initially a fun game, but little by little we see how his mental state degenerates more and more as the plot progresses, not only is he intelligent, he is captivating, he is attractive, he is manipulative and terrifying in many moments, it is easily understand because he is at the top at the beginning of the game, when he understands that his capabilities are below those of Vincenzo is when he begins to fall apart and stops being fun, he was not afraid of dying before a Vincenzo that he considers an equal rival, but when he sees himself inferior he begins to fear, not so much of the act of death itself, but of the fact that this implies that he is inferior, that is his true fear.

Choi Myung-hee is the other side of the evil in the series, on the one hand we have Jang Junwoo who as I said is charming and likes to play from the shadows and on the other hand her, her rhythm of play is not to be pleasant, she does not seek to convince anyone, she is a terrible person from the front, everyone who lives with her directly or indirectly knows it and that is why they become the perfect companions and at no time their loyalty wavers, their interest although of course it has monetary connotations, they always go hand in hand with obtaining power and abusing it directly by causing others to suffer. In addition, the relationship of the antagonists with the protagonists, especially with Vincenzo, seems to me, simply great, how they face directly, how they use political and judicial strategies, the relationship between the situation they are living and who they are as individuals really feels.

The rest of the characters also give for an analysis each one, but I will try to make it concise, all the secondary characters from those who live in Geumga square, to Jang Hanseo and Jo Youn Woon are the best I have seen in a never series, each and every one of them has depth and evolution throughout the series, and although it is "a deux-machina" that everything is so damn talented, it is justified by the tone of the series since we must remember that it is It is about a black comedy (the fact that the genre of the series is black comedy and drama is another success in itself since it allows the inclusion of more fanciful elements in the series that would not otherwise be organic), regardless of it And despite having so many characters and things happening at the same time, the series gives each of the characters time on the screen and not only that but it makes them iconic, they all have high moments of drama, they all have great dialogues and well constructed, everything is relevant in the story that is being told and that is the best that a series can do, create empathy between the characters and the viewer (not only with the protagonists) because in this way everything that is happening interests you and the dive is deeper.

I have to highlight here Lee Cheol Wook, Ahn Ki Seok, Park Seok Do and Nam Joo Sung as characters, each one conquered me in different ways at different times in the series and their relationship with the protagonist is so good that in the final chapter they had me trembling with concern that something would happen to them.

But definitely the secondary character that takes all the palms is Jang Hanseo, as he is the most evolving character of all, it is true that much of the series is presented as a single puppet under the orders of his brother who is not very intelligent to say, but when you start to analyze the whole picture, this character becomes more and more profound, let's start with the fact that he has lived his entire life tormented by a psychopath who also killed his father, even so I think that by moments and not explicitly it can be understood that a certain level in some twisted way "loves his brother", he has lived under Jungwoo's shadow always and this has prevented him from living a life that allows him to develop in any way to having him always tied up, with Vincenzo and his group is the first time that he is required to be more and he does it, we see him not only being a genuinely good and loyal person, but also that we see his capacities to be a good leader, everything potential that he had not been allowed to exploit was developing little by little, his need for affection is clear, to have a real family, a real brother and in Vincenzo he finds that bond to the point that he sacrifices his life for him, he is a character that one hundred percent obtains his redemption (I still suffer it).

We talked about "romance" in the series and of course Hong Cha-young, I really liked the decision to leave the romantic bond a little background in the story, mainly because too much was already happening for the characters to have time to worry for this reason, even so the link is there and you can see it in each gesture, look, in their genuine concern for each other, there are many romantic series that scream at you with words that the main characters love each other but their actions never reflect it, in this series we have the opposite, we know what you feel through the subtlety and beauty of their interactions, but just like them, the public realizes that it is not the time to get romantic. Honh Cha-young is a female character who seems to me simply spectacular, she is not the typical good-natured protagonist who lives only for the main male character, no, she is an intelligent, ambitious woman, she is good yes, but not completely like the vast majority in the series exists more in a range of grays, is brave and can face battles without the help of Vincenzo and even in many moments it is she who protects him, in addition, little by little her consciousness as a lawyer changes, partly if because of his suffering from losing his father, but also because as a person he feels better when he defends the weakest through the law, even when he knows that he has to say goodbye to Vincenzo despite his feelings for him, he takes it with bravery and is facing it. And the moments of madness and evil of her are simply amazing, what a good character.

The performances, Song Joong Ki is not a new actor for me but I must say that it was with this performance that he won all my heart, the series is his, all the characters are excellent but at no time do you forget that the series is Vincenzo always, his work is spectacular, all the looks, their emotions, their anger, their happiness, each moment is iconic and remains engraved very deep in your mind; and I have to acknowledge all the scenes with her mother it is sublime, you feel that duality between the genuine love of a child and the resentment of having been abandoned and the cathartic moment when she can finally forgive her, I remember it and tears come to my eyes and sorry but Italian had never seemed such a sexy language to me until this series, you can see all the work behind it and how committed the actor was at all times; I must also say that in all the performances it is felt that they were really enjoying doing the series. Jeon Yeo Bin, also does a spectacular job, I think he achieves a great balance of duality between the madness and the seriousness of his character, much of the character's suffering has to be kept in the dark because he is facing a great enemy, however in his gestures, glances and the longing in his gaze you gradually realize that he is more than what is shown on the surface and that can only be achieved when he has a first-rate actor. Ok Taec Yeon, ufff ... I really love this man, I don't know what else to say, he was bad with desire and despicable, but even so I felt slightly bad when his character suffered, all the cynicism, madness and mental decay that he had what to achieve with his character, it was simply spectacular, honestly, he was for me the great surprise of the series and I just want to see more of him, thank you, just thank you for giving us this character and every time his eyes got teary with anger, I just wanted to take all those moments and immortalize them for posterity.

All the other actors did a spectacular job, I can't talk about all of them because in itself this is already very long, but, it is more than obvious how committed and the love they felt for the project itself each of the characters, there is not a person in this series who does not believe that they gave the performance of their life and that is certainly something that I do not think I have the fortune to witness again. Respect.

The music is very good, the use of classical Italian music combined with pop or romantic Korean music, they are geniuses, one not might think that will work so well, but it does and it is simply a visual and aural spectacle.

The production work, I am deeply grateful that they made the decision that the series will be shown seriously raw, we do not see use of extremely fake blood as it happens in many Asian productions or the action happens out of focus, no, no, here the blood is seen realistic and the action is put in front of you, regardless of whether it implies violence, torture and even death, the characters are cruel at times and the series does not stop to show you this, leaving this aside, the series is beautiful each scene is built to be a work of art and each frame could easily be you new screen saver and that special effects, wonderful.

I could not add anything more to this review, which more than review it is a compilation of praise for Vincenzo, but really I found a spectacular series and I recommend it to everyone, just want more series with that quality and wonderful characters to be produced, Korea never ceases to amaze me when I think I have reached the epitome, it always has more to offer me, it will take a while to get over this series, thank you, thank you for Vincenzo.

I miss you, Col Salada.

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