Vincenzo

Not so much Dark Action Series

When you going to watch the drak action crime based series then you already prepared for longer series with good episode length and accepting the fact that story will reveal slowly as it goes. Vincenzo has great story with great cast but there is something which lacks and it is the way story reveals.

I love this drama it has great actors, music, has some comedy, great action and great music. But it has flaws which we can see not do many but have.

I can re-watch this drama it is good and best for binge watching. You cannot relax until you completed.

Also I love the ending

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Missed potential in beautiful package

I think that no drama this year gave me so mixed feelings than Vincenzo. I’ve changed my mind about it multiple times while watching it and I’m still not entirely sure what exactly to think about it. For me this drama was just so uneven that it’s hard to give it just one score. But I’ll go point by point with this and hopefully at the end I’ll have my mind set.

The goodies:

Production
A while ago I’ve said that It’s Okay to Not Be Okay was the most aesthetically pleasing drama that I’ve watched this year. But after a bit of thought, I think that it should be ex aequo with Vincenzo on the first spot. While in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay more care was put towards scenography and costumes, in Vincenzo production itself was top notch. Photography and the way some scenes were shot was just so good that I think it could easily compete with western hight budget series in this category. And let’s talk about scenes that took place in Italy. Because you know what? They weren’t actually shot in Italy or anywhere near Europe. All of them were actually shot on green screen and even some actors weren’t in the same place, but were put together in post production. Which makes those scenes even more impressive.
For those interested, here’s material published by Netflix on their YouTube channel, mind blown, am I right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eQz7orIi8Q


Acting
I mean, with a cast like that I wouldn’t expect anything less than perfect. And I have to say, all actors deliver. Song Joong Ki had a particular hard job with his character talking a lot of Italian but it worked out better than I thought. I mean, I don’t speak Italian, I’ve watched some analysis of his language skills made by actual Italians and they had rather good opinions of it. And for my ear it actually sounds better than his English from Descendants of the Sun where it sounded like he just got the text written phonetically to memorise. This time it sounds more natural at least on the first glance.
Amongst others I’d have to highlight performances by Ok Taec Yeon (obviously, but I have to say that he’ve done a hell of a job with a character that could otherwise be absolutely ridiculous and exaggerated) and Kim Yeo Jin (the same as with character played by Ok Tae Yeon. I’d say that this drama served a bit too close to comical relief with it’s characters, but was saved by top acting).


Comic relief
About comic relief, but this time the intended one. At some point I was really confused of what this drama is trying to be. Because amongst all those pretty intense mafia scenes we have those little hidden gems of comic relief scenes and characters that actually, after some time, fit perfectly as a bit of pressure valve after some emotional or just simply intensive scenes. I’d say that my favourite comic relief were the tenants of Geumga Plaza, they’re such an amazing blend of personalities that comedic scenes with them were a pure gold for me.

Characters (esp. villain)
There’s a lot of them, which not always is a good thing (about it later) but I have to admit that all characters in this series are very well developed and thought through. There’s basically no weak link here.
And let’s talk about the villain, because that was hands down the best played character here. Ok Taec Yeon done such an amazing job portraying Jang Jun Woo that he basically saved this character that otherwise could be unintended comic relief here. But the way this character progressed being more and more psychopathic was a masterpiece. That ladies and gentlemen is how villains should be written. The way that we know what they could do without them showing it it’s just enough to make us shudder.
About Vincenzo himself. At first I’ve seen him as a bit exaggerated with the notion of him being basically more Italian than pizza itself. But it kind grew on me and the way the character was developed made him more believable with each episode. Finally we have what was promised, a cold blooded mafia guy who’s not afraid to use cruel methods on people who crossed the line, at the same time being composed lawyer choosing peaceful (or semi peaceful) methods first.

Baddies

Pacing
And here we have first problem and the thing that I was most angry about it because it spoiled my fun from watching this series. Pacing. It’s really bad in some episodes. Somewhere in the middle we have situation when in episode we have 90% of nothing happening and one really amazing scene that made me not drop this drama. I’m used to filler episodes, but here they were really bad, especially that there was no point in having them, since we were basically always in the middle of the action. Maybe it was because Vincenzo has 20 episodes, maybe with 16 it would be much better. Luckily, this 10%, this one really amazing scene kind of rewarded us for waiting remaining hour filled with monotonous dialogues.

Plot
Plot was the thing that I’m the most unsure about whether I liked it or not. I think it’s still linked to pacing of the show but at one point I felt that too many things are happening. We had so many side plots that it was hard to tell what’s happening with the main problem. It made the drama look pretty chaotic and watered down. Especially with this amount of characters. Even tough well written the abundance of them made it pretty hard to follow who’s who and what is he/she doing.


So to somehow bring it all together. For me Vincenzo was a bit of wasted potential of being really amazing series. A bit of it was lost because of really slow paced plot but the good things remain underneath it. So maybe it’s not for everyone, maybe you just need patience for it.

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Ambitious 'buddy cop'/mafia plot weighed down by its own ambitions . .

There are some truly creative, cinematic and eccentric scenes that will linger. But, the episodes are long, and the core theme repeats over and over. Eventually, I came to the point where watching caused boredom or needless tension from emotional whiplash between the absurd comedy and the violence. It was time to stop.

In our modern era of corruption, narcissism, greed and nihilism perhaps only death and destruction can change things around. Vincenzo is an intriguing character with an innocent surface, hiding an ease with violence and revenge. Cha-Young (female sidekick) is along for the ride experiencing the vicarious thrill of well-deserved retribution in action.

Music fits the mood, would not rewatch.

I grade on other criteria as well:

Complex Themes: 8.5
Psychopathic 'dark triad/tetrad' individuals and their enablers cause wide-spread destruction and havoc on society, violence may be the only effective answer. Some people are beyond redemption. Courage can be found in unlikely places.

Character Growth: 4
At least 3/4 the way through there really wasn’t any for Vincenzo or Cha-Young.

Complex women/Relationships: 5.5
Here we have a full blown female villain and a female co-hero with barely any romance elements. I liked that the female villain’s clothing, demeanour and temperament was dowdy and unassuming and how it could change in a split moment into something more sinister. Note: low points for not having much substantive interactions between women.

Cinematography/Production Values: 9.0
Really top notch, shooting in different styles, different angles. Lots of changing of scenery. Great fight scenes.

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Great performance by Song Joong Ki and Kim Sung Cheol (episode 8)

I absolutely love Song Joongki on this show... but then again, I love Song Joongki (SJK) in all his movies and dramas. But since watching episode 1 to the current episode 8, it is very clear that he is carrying most of the weight of this show. The 1st episode, the scene when he was in Italy was great. That was the 1st 10 minutes of EP. 1. The rest of EP 1 went downhill rapidly when he returned to Korea. Only the last 5 minutes was worth watching. In between, the show was filled with the most annoying characters - the noisy, irritating tenants of the building ("the Tenants") who are overacting in very silly slapstick scenes . The worst character is the female lead, who is overacting and extremely annoying. Both the female lead and the Tenants fail miserably at humour with their overacting - which is more suited for a variety show. It is surprising because the rest of the cast were good. Even the gangsters didn't overact and they executed their parts well. The cast from Wusang law firm were good and the Babel cast too (fake Chairman and real Chairman). It is hugely disappointing that the brilliant acting of SJK and enjoyable acting of the Babel cast, Wusang cast and Gangster cast were marred by the silly, overacting of the female lead and Tenants.
There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel - Episode 8 has redeemed the show. This episode focused mainly on SJK (the female lead faded to the background). All you need to do is fast forward and skip the scenes with the Tenants in Episode 8 in order to enjoy it. This episode focuses on SJK and Kim Sung Cheol. What a delight to watch SJK and Kim Sung Cheol (KSC) acting together. KSC's portrayal of his character was absolutely perfect. Because KSC's acting was brilliant, it made SJK's scenes with him such a delight to watch because SJK himself is brilliant throughout this drama. This is absolutely the best episode so far. There is hope yet for this drama, as long as they totally minimise the role of the Tenants and the female lead. At the very least they should drastically tone down the ridiculous overacting and silly slapstick antics of the Tenants and female lead. Yes, the genre is "dark comedy" but there is nothing funny at all in the way the Tenants and the female lead are portraying their characters. In fact, it is jarring on the nerves! Everyone else in the show are doing a good job to make this show enjoyable. And THANK YOU to Kim Sung Cheol for injecting a life-saving performance in this drama together with SJK. I am praying that the upcoming episodes have further delightful surprises like what we saw in Episode 8.

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A perfect blend of humor and intensity

Vincenzo is a show that checks every box in my list of what makes a good drama. It has law. It has humor. It has thrill. It has good storyline and writing. It has beautiful cinematography. It has enough Romance to keep me on my toes. Couldn't ask for more.
This show was something I waited for everyday of the week. Every week I was so excited to watch it as soon as Netflix dropped it. It really keeps you so pumped and ends with cliffhangers every episode.
It has alot of impact on my daily life. I keep remembering the show looking at random things like pigeons, zumba etc.
I loved how well the writer really thought out the show and wrote it so intelligently.
This show is so balanced, every episode there was an equal amount of humor and intensity. So you'll never know how serious the next scene is gonna be and this doesn't tire you out and make you overwhelmed.
I remember really laughing out loud, literally to many of the scenes in the show.
The osts of the show are haunting and really well suited to every scene.
I really enjoyed most of the characters, they were well written and well executed by the top tier actors. The bts of the show was super fun to watch, I loved how comfortable the cast were so comfortable with each other.
This show really is so impactful, it made me stronger, I felt somehow empowered and ready to take on challenges (I know right, sounds a little unrealistic, but ngl I really felt it).
The only complain I have is the last episode, the first half made me almost want to reduce the rating to like a 8 lol. It was a bit too fast and overwhelming and some of the actions were unnecessary. But the second half kinda saved the show and increased my rating to 9.5. It was not a perfect ending but I felt vincenzo deserved "that" for his sins. If it were a perfect ending it would be unrealistic. So I dont actually have a problem with it.
Other than that, I loved the show so so much. It was beautiful. Highly recommended. Please watch.

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Not Over Hyped nor over rated!!!!!! I Loved it.

I watched Vincenzo when It was airing and it was so exciting. Each weekend I got my laptop and my speakers to watch and have a blast. The episodes were a roller coaster of emotions, you could be laughing, then shed a few tears, then get angry, cringe and even feel disappointed. This drama just had me in my feeling. through the week I would watch back my favourite scenes or even rewatch an episode.
All the actors were great in their respective roles.
Acting
1. Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) had so many different sides to him and his eyes would especially bring out these different sides of him. He could be scary mafia dude, but cute and romantic hubby, he could be silly. His face just always showed what mood or character he was portraying.

2. Hoong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) executed her role just how she was supposed to be. A shameless lawyer who would do anything to win. She made me laugh , cringe and sad throughout the show.

3. Jang Jun Woo (Ok Taecyeon) the first half of the show he nailed his innocent clueless intern role to a T. But then he was the vilian and also that spoiled rich little boy who liked to smash and destroyed what he could not have or control.

4. Choi Myung-hee (Kim YTeo-jin) I hated her so much each episode I was just wishing she would be killed how cruel she was and how she could just order people to be killed just like that then sit to eat or dance. Because of this I think she did a fantastic job.
The Tenants - they were so selfish at times, but then each one of them ended up showing how useful they were and that they were worth fighting for in their own little way. I especially liked Tak Hong-shik, Mr. Nam and Seo Mi Ri out of all the tenants. Mr Tak, because when he stated to fight with his scissors; Mr. Nam for his awkward, adorable and usefulness and Miss Seo because she was just this weird piano player but then bam Top Hacker extraordinaire.

This show had a little bit of everything, comedy, action, angst, subtle romance. It dealt with trust, family, loyalty, fairness in the society and the legal system, cooperation and so much more.
Give the drama a try you either love it or hate it. You might think it's average and that just fine.

All dramas are not made equal and everyone does not need to like everything.

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The Great Gatsby meets Mafia

The thing I liked most about this drama was the complicated characters. The demarcation between the good guys and the bad guys was blurry, and you find yourself questioning why you're rooting for who you're rooting for. As the drama goes on, you get to see the characters develop and question their choices and grapple with the past and future. This drama reminds me of The Great Gatsby because of the complex and muddy characters, but Vincenzo takes this theme to the next level with Mafia tactics and high stakes.
If you are someone who only enjoys lighthearted dramas with straightforward themes (and there's nothing wrong with that), then this one might not be for you. But if you're someone who likes to think a lot while you watch your dramas, then you might like this one.

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Not bad but not good. ?

I actually didn't find anything special about this drama. many recommended me to watch this as it is like a very interesting drama. it is indeed quite funny but there are a lot of stupid scenes. I saw someone's review about some of those scenes and I totally agree with that. but as a person with an imaginative and fictional mind, I would probably say I won't mind those scenes. one thing in my opinion was there was no need of jang han-seo's death. probably it was fine if Hong cha young and jang han seo was just getting hurt. I hate sad endings but it did give the drama a plot twist. there were a lot of funny scenes like where vincenzo had to pretend to be in love with hwang min sung. I laughed a lot at those scenes but I think if a little more effort was put, I would have given a least of 8.5.

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NEVER LOOK AT RATINGS OR BAD COMMENTS BEFORE WATCHING ANYTHING

Another reason why you shouldn't look at ratings before watching any drama, this was my first time seeing all the casts in this drama except for the ceo of wusang firm. The only complain I have about this drama is how they made the villain to be a man instead of a woman because let's be honest, miss lawyer Choi rocks, she was the villain in it not Hanseok. She was the mastermind behind everything, Hanseok didn't lift a finger and even I got to say he literally did nothing. I super love this drama, I like how Vincenzo didn't change who he was, he was truly a mafia through and through, he didn't backed down from anything and he always made true his threats. This drama was all about Vincenzo anyway. Also I didn't like the female lead acting much, it was too overacting and too exaggerated. Sad to see it finish, might rewatch another time. I already miss my Mr consigliere and my corn salad family.

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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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few illogical scenes

4 illogical scenes in this movie
1.Vincenzo would have saved his mother if he had placed more guards and the feeling of invincibility would not have clouded Vincenzo’s mind
2. Jong Seok's brother, Han So, could have knocked the gun out of his brother's hands with a hockey stick or hit him on the back with a hockey stick rather than stand and watch while he spoke. Then it would all end without drama..
3. The same younger brother could have prevented the shot at lawyer Hong and saved himself by hitting his brother with a bandy
4. Well, since Han So had already snatched the gun, he should have pointed it not at himself, but at his brother Jong Seok, or simply thrown it to Vincezo..
Then the amazing series would have turned out to be truly amazing, but these illogical blunders only complicated everything .. an ill-conceived raft .. although you can attribute everything to the screenwriter’s idea of “drama and the fact that “invincible heroes also make mistakes”, but this looks illogical and unnecessary .. could I wish I could end these scenes beautifully

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