Vincenzo (2021)

Mind-boggling but dries down towards the end

Story:
Well, I watched this because many people recommended this to me. The first few episodes were just mind-boggling and had me tied to my seat as the hero and the villain in the story made some super crazy moves. The constant back-and-forth strategies were definitely enticing. However, this seemed to die down as the spotlight shifted to the plaza members. I somehow was not able to connect to their characters at all! Towards the end, the villain just dries down. This disheartened me; hence, I took a lot of time to complete this show. Most often I was not interested in the plaza characters' forceful comedy and usually skipped those scenes.

Positives:
What pushed me to watch this was that this show's acting and visuals were amazing. I'll say its worth a watch because its great to see a new perspective in the hero's thinking methods. The Italian spice in this show was brilliant and catchy. And yes do not expect that lovey-dovey romance. Jeon Yeo's energetic and bubbly personality always cracked me up xD

Inshort:
If you're looking for something lawyers based, thrilling, crime and at the same time light-hearted some times this is it. The production and the fashion statements made are wonderful.
If not the whole thing I'd say Episodes from 1-10 and 14,15 are worth watching!
Don't think much, personally, I enjoyed this as this show left me with a sassy confident attitude for a few days xD

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Good but not great

While I wouldn't consider it a masterpiece, it was entertaining,
the obvious weak links were:
- the people of the plaza (one could skip all their scenes and not miss a thing)
- The over the top acting and humor, I didn't find it funny but ridiculous most of the time, even though I love comedies.
- The writing of the script felt like they started with the wanted result and then stumbled their way writing the reason or the process (why did vincenzo bother with babel? )
- Storylines that went nowhere or weren't needed. (The gold was at the end of the day just a catalyze for Vincenzo to be there when shit happens and they didn't bother giving that aubplot any substance, but we had to sit through countless scenes of them discussing or looking for that damn gold)
- Everyone but the ML is dumb and can't think for themselves, including the antagonists

For those interested in watching, the 1st 4 episodes are boring, so you should get past those before deciding if it's worth watching. The middle is really interesting and full of twists, SJK acting is on point.

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A good show, but could be shorter and with less comedy

Vincenzo is definitely one of my favorite shows of the year. The main story is compelling and the acting is great. But I’m not the biggest fan of the comedic part of the show. I feel like those moments break the momentum too much. I feel like the show would have been even better with less episodes, probably something around 16. Also, the fact that the show was heavily spoiled to me might have lessened the overall effect. It took me months to finish it because of that.

It’s inevitable for me to compare Vincenzo with The Devil Judge, which was released after but I watched first. Both shows focus on revenge, have charismatic protagonists that are self proclaimed villains, punish people via “the law”, and there’s not much romance. Yet, I’d say both shows are very different. I enjoyed The Devil Judge more, since it’s shorter and with no comedy. But I probably would say Vincenzo Cassano is the best character of the year.

The cast was overall fantastic. All the main cast is outstanding, specially Taecyeon, Joong Ki and Yeo Jin. But, in my opinion, the best was Kwak Dong Yeon. Han Seo was probably the death that got to me the most and I loved all his scenes. I’m glad he was the key to defeat his brother in the end.

The Plaza gang was probably the weakest point in my opinion. I perceive them as a subplot to slow down the main story. I didn’t care about them until they finally started to be more useful by helping Vincenzo and Cha Young directly. The entire gold storyline was boring, too long and didn’t even have a good ending. Obviously, without the gold vault there would be no Vincenzo in Korea or a stablished place to put the Guillotine file. But for a plot that was stablished in the very start of the show, it didn’t go anywhere.

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Heavily scripted drama that will give you a whiplash

I can see why there was so much hype around this k-drama when it was first released. It was quite different to your typical parcel of k-dramas being released and the main leads definitely got the netizens talking. However, watching the show a few months after it finished its run, the rose tinted glasses cannot hide all its rough edges.

On the positive side, the ML is handsome and overflowing with charisma. Whether you believe he is a Mafia consigliere is your decision. The FL was flamboyant and matched well with the ML so the OTP's chemistry was signed and sealed. There were quite a few stylistic moments and quotable quotes just right for memes. Action sequences were generally well executed and impactful. Production value was high. OST more than serviceable with classical music taking a prominent role.

When observing the show from a distance, like war and art, you start to notice a coda that ends with the death of a key character (and those were obviously marked for death). The odd thing is that in most cases, the in-between space was filled with comedy, sometimes slapstick and quite farcical. This swing in mood did give me a bit of whiplash. I don't know if part of the problem stems from the drama being 20 episodes long and each almost 1.5 hours in duration. If it was trimmed down to 16 episodes, it might be tighter.

Most of these comedic sequences were supplied by the occupants of the Plaza. They were a motley crew with hearts of gold. In that sense, I was disappointed that they were largely used as comic relief and had little growth. They reminded me of characters in the movies "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" and "Kung Fu Hustle". A bit derivative, to be honest.

Oh mama mia, the overacting. There were so much overacting. The main villains were racing to see who is more evil and the said support cast amped up their traits to the max, most of them became caricatures. Subtlety was the main casualty and there were more than just gallons of blood on the floor. Ditto the violence. It is over the top and the impact waned over time.

Now we come to the biggest problem for me. There are quite a few plot holes and some illogical story telling. The show started well and we have the lone wolf arriving to help the beleaguered "village". I can accept that Vincenzo is an anti-hero and very grey when it come to the definition of good and evil, it does add spice to the proceedings. However, the longer the show went on, the more problematic the story telling became. There were lots of shouted intentions but mostly just milling around until we hit one of the key event I mentioned before. Scenes like the ML fighting 3 mafia hitmen and was saved by Inzaghi, reward for good deeds? The scene when the ML confronted the Interpol officers, one sequence was shown at the end of one episode and when the next episode starts, a completely different scenario was played which contradicted the earlier scene. The role of the Guillotine file which was supposed to be the ultimate deus ex machina but it sort of works but eventually watered down. The gold plot went rogue, why a bed and does it really ends there? Sometimes the plot twist were clever but a lot of the time you can sense the writer-nim's hand on the steering wheel to make sure the show stay on a given course. Several times during the show, it could have ended "logically" but it just kept going.

Vincenzo is handsome and oozes charisma, the show is enjoyable in parts and it will pull your heartstrings from time to time, the found family trope can be cute and heart warming. There is no question about the chemistry between the OTP (I do wish they devoted more time to them). A grand opera of revenge can be sweet music. However, the inconsistencies will pull you out of immersion. Personally, I find Itaewon Class a superior David vs Goliath drama but nobody ever goes to watch a James Bond movie for empathy and sensitivity.

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A mafia turned good citizen

GOOD main leads.
GOOD plot.
Above-average supporting characters.
An over-drag villain.
A complete disastrous representation of SK law.
A little bit of disappointment in the ending.
Overall a good watch.
A big no for re-watch.

The story begins kinda slowly. But after episode 4 it picks up the pace and makes you believe that our star MC will fight the evil and get his girl for sure. Slowly the plot twists arise and the episodes became more of an action-comedy to me. The execution of Gangster vibes is in check and the cuteness of Jeon Yeo-been makes your heart go throb.
If you like mafia / gangster type revenge plot with rom-com GO for this.

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Vincenzo is quirky and entertaining.

Vincenzo concluded, and the executions of Jang Han Seok and Choi Myung Hee were a gore-fest. Vincenzo is one of the quirkiest, most entertaining K-dramas, and it might be the best K-drama of 2021. I thought that it was an over-the-top silly slapstick/crime/suspense drama in the beginning, but I kept watching it every week.

Protagonists: Song Joong Ki shined in the role of Vincenzo, and he carried the show on his shoulders. This is his best acting role to-date. His special skills got the job done, while he regained his humanity. Jeon Yeo Bin was overacting as Hong Cha Young, who acted like a spoilt princess most of the time. Her supermodel catwalk strut and her facial mannerisms were very annoying. When she was serious, she radiated on screen.

Antagonists: Ok Taecyeon stepped outside the box, and chose a role that I never envisioned. Jang Han Seok was psychotic, bipolar, evil, schizophrenic and despotic. Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee was the most irritating character in the drama. Her styling was off. She looked like a frowzy fashionista with dirty hair and expensive fashion wear. It looked like Kim never washed and combed her hair for twenty episodes.

Chump: Kwak Dong Yeon is memorable as the cowardly weak brother, Jang Han Seo, who developed a spine, and helped Vincenzo take down Jang Han Seok.

SPOILER ALERT
I found the opening segment of the final episode was very irritating. Master Executioner Vincenzo froze while Jang Han-Seok and Jang Han-Seo were having a showdown. This was so uncharacteristic in Vincenzo. I would have choreographed a better scene, with Vincenzo and Jang Han-Seo taking down madman Jang Han-Seok. Even if Jang Han-Seo was weak, he was still redeemable. As usual, the K-drama time jump wrapped up the drama. If the production team took off a week to fine tune the last four episodes, they surely raised the bar on the gore.

SPOILER ALERT
A Season 2 is probable, considering the gold bars are sitting in Hong Cha Young's shed. They could bring back Jang Han Seo, the good brother. I do not think that they acknowledged that he had died. He could be lying in a coma in a hospital, and reawaken in Season 2. The gold has to be redistributed among the Geumga Plaza residents and the lawyers. It can't sit in Cha Young's shed forever. They could build a better Geumga Plaza/residence/retailer/office building, and Han Seo could be the CEO. Wishful thinking!

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Disappointed Much

Okay there have been a few reviews that match mine so I feel like I’m in good company lol. Let me start by saying I love love love SJK and the main actors weren’t bad actors (although my mate JYB did let me down in her portrayal of her character - however I don’t know that I can wholly blame her or the writer’s depiction of her character) overall I feel like the writer let this one down. The fact that there was supposed to be romance (limited and odd) within the action drama did not end well on this score and the whole story left a lot to be desired.
The support actors did their best to be who they were supposed to be but even these guys were oddballs, particularly the baddies - just oddballs.
The one thing I must say (I know it’s been said before but I completely agree with them) OTY - OMG his portrayal of the villainous evil guy but Mr Nice guy was superb and amazing. The 2 male leads had me throughout this one and it took me a while to get through it because the writing was so poor, I had to drop and then pick i tup several times over after a break of some time between. I’m usually a drama junkie and can get through a drama within 3 or 4 days if it’s gripping and compelling. This one - sorry to say took me over a month to get through and this is the greatest disappointment and letdown because of my admiration and love for the 2 male leads.
Not sure if I’ll ever fully recover to be honest as my love for both these guys has been scarred from bad writing and possibly directing. I’ll definitely be hesitating the next time I have to choose a drama with my favourites in them. Although I’ll probably end up watching them anyway purely because they’re NOT BAD ACTORS.
Will I ever REWATCH this one - Never again!!!! 절대!!!! NEVER

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?Hola mafiosos, ¿Cómo están?? Hoy les vengo con la reseña de uno de los doramas que más disfruté ver en lo que va del año.

??Por si no saben de qué trata, acá les cuento: A los 8 años un niño llamado Park Joo Hyung fue adoptado por una familia de Italia. Ahora, de adulto, es conocido como Vincenzo Cassano, el consiglieri más importante de la mafia italiana.
Luego de la muerte del jefe de su familia, huye a Corea donde conoce a los habitantes de Plaza Geumga y a la abogada Hong Cha Young, con quien se alía para destruir a una empresa llamada Babel.

?Este kdrama es una seguidilla de sucesos uno atrás del otro que hacen que te enganches de principio a fin. Los momentos de acción están increíbles y la actuación de Song Joong Ki en esas escenas está a otro nivel.

?La serie en sí ES sus personajes, la trama pasa a un segundo plano. Tanto los principales cómo los secundarios son el plato fuerte del dorama. Tenemos a los protas como antihéroes que hacen lo que haya que hacer con tal de joderles los planes a los "malos", no importa qué. Y si hablamos de villanos, el jefe máximo no solo está bien actuado, sino que el personaje en sí tiene una construcción muy buena. Sus secuaces también están muy bien logrados, real que a algunos llegás a odiarlos con todo tu ser. Los habitantes de Plaza Geumga son todo lo que está bien y más, es inevitable no quererlos porque son un estallo constante, algunos de ellos se ganan tu corazón por completo.

Pasando a la trama, a pesar de que pasan muchas cosas todo el tiempo, todo se va construyendo de forma constante y nada de lo que pasa se siente apresurado. Puede que no sea espectacular, pero funciona.

?Aunque todo lo que vengo diciendo son cosas favorables, hay algunas que hacen que este kdrama no llegue a ser un diez. Hay algunos momentos en los que ya pecan de exagerados (en dos escenas puntuales es imposible no pensar "esto ya es demasiado"). Además hay cuestiones súper convenientes para la trama que hacen bastante predecibles algunas situaciones.

?Vincenzo es un drama que sabe cómo mantenerte al borde del asiento y hacerte estallar de risa, todo en el mismo capítulo.

@altoplottwist

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Just Okay at the End

From the first episode, I thought I knew what I was getting into, and I confess, the first few episodes did seem to confirm my thoughts! But by the 18th episode, I had lost a lot of interest. In my opinion, there was way way more that could have been done with the writing. I understand it was a dark comedy thing they were going for, and the comedy was many times really good! But the villains were lackluster, and the development of characters was nearly non-existent. The villains kept doing the exact same thing (that OBVIOUSLY didn't work), and when Vincenzo would intercept it, they'd be like :O. But you kept doing the EXACT same things?? And the romance between Vincenzo and Cha Young, like I enjoyed it, but when it came to Cha Young's character values, it seemed way too muddled. At least there could have been some sort of conflict in that area, since she was initially portrayed to somewhat have some reserve towards how far she was willing to go, vs Vincenzo. There was also the wasted opportunities for the op character and even the writing of the Plaza's people was questionable sometimes (felt unbelievable/convenient). But anyways, that's just my gripe and this is just my opinion. Though it made finishing the last few episodes a hassle, the show was still a solid okay, I won't argue with that.

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I have quite high expectation for the drama, with the hype everywhere and the high ratings. Well, the expectation wasn't 100 percent fulfilled but I still give quite high rating as I enjoyed the series. I expected more for the storyline you know like law and stuff, but it was rather simple. It did shows some smart moves but hm I don't know I just expected more like coolness, smart, mind blowing things. But I do enjoy the whole anti-hero perspective, the 'evil punishing other evil' thingy, and since I was ready for it, I enjoyed it a lottt. It was evil and gruesome especially towards the end, but it was a literal satisfaction for me, because i kinda agree, justice won't always win. The acting were all amazingggg, all casts did a great job, I'm okay with the humor I actually like it and for the romance, well I love those slow burn romance but it's not like 'aaa they're so cutee kiss now' it's more like I root for them but the last episode I find it cute. Oh and the pace were good for me, it's not too slow lovee it and there are some parts that I wish we got more explanations. Lastly, one of the complaints that I have is the ppl? it's too obvious and I find it annoying sometimes haha. So yeah, bottomline is, I enjoyed it but I did expect more. It was good <3

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A little disappointed

Sooo i started Vinzenzo beacause of my friend who loved it ♡
The beginning was impressive, but then it was a little to boring (at first it was slow the story but after 10 episode came the 'good stuff' )
I understand that they wanted to combine all the types •action
•mafia
•sadness
•comedy
•romance
But the result for me was: some scenes was masterpiece and some others was boring.
Except from that, the story was good and interesting but there were times that i was lost for what was going on
On the other side i can say that i loved the acting like OMG i was not expecting but i was shocked(in a good way) many times
I loved that the role of female protagonist was a powerful (metaphorical) woman
The production, ok, i don't have words, it was obvious FANTASTIC and the ost was veryyy good
I reccomaded mostly for the acting!

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MUST WATCH!!!!

I think this drama very interesting kind of fun to watch. Theres a lot of plot twist srsly im waiting for new ep rn n the visual of song joong ki is no jokes waa im fall in love again after dots.? I really recommend this drama not being over but just my opinion hehehe kinda curious how the drama ending every ep always make me curious with the plot twist?so if u like action n comedy (dark comedy) drama then this will be the best for u bcs i think this drama quite amused. This drama mybe will make us scared at first but due to the comedy so it makes this drama balanced.

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