Vincenzo

some good moments with so many problems

This is the first time I'm writing a review so I'm gonna keep it simple

Likes
- song joongki
- choi myunghee death scene (the filmography was absolutely gorgeous)
- symbolism in the show is used beautifully
- some of the twists are really good ideas (idk about the execution of them)
- concept
- kwak dongyeon's character was one of the only put together characters in the show
- same for kim yeojin

Negatives
- Taecyeon's acting genuinely got me riled up, maybe it's just not for me. The switches between English and Korean are jarring and he overreacts, I couldn't take him seriously at all.
- Cutting of the scenes? I feel like so much of the show is happening behind the screen, none of the actual action, the plotting is shown and when I want to see more in one scene, we jump to another scene in another setting. It's hard to feel any connection to this show.
- Heros are supposed to have highs and lows - the lows never really came for Vincenzo so it was hard to once again feel connected to his character. Yes, he's a mastermind but everything just came with no explanation
- I feel like I didn't know anything about hong cha young's character other than the fact that she was Vincenzo's love interest and just went along with everything he did
- the comedy tag on the show is super misleading, nothing is funny about this show and they used it so they can just stuff random nonsense into the plot which can be entertaining but not funny
- I really wish the writers fully fleshed out the characters because the main concept behind both Vincenzo and Hong Chayoung as well, is that they're anti-heroes and so much can be done with that but they make dumb decisions.
- randomly including the police in the last episode when all the characters have faced little to no legal reprecussions in the previous episodes
- there's so much more I could say but I forgot so

To conclude, I truly believe that this could've been a well-plotted out show with more (40 maybe?) episodes but the writers/directors would just stuff in random uncorrelated twists in the show.

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All spectacle, Less Substance.

This drama had an interesting premise. Not only that, it had a good star-studded cast. It's just that I felt that this drama was overrated.

Before I lay out the issues I had with this drama, I'm going to start with what I enjoyed. I enjoyed the cinematography of this drama from start to finish.

There were also episodes that spark creativity. One episode was when it opened with the painting of the French Revolution. Then, the whole episode was built around it and it comedically culminated in the characters of the drama doing a paint-me-a-picture of the said painting.

Now, I get down to the issues.

First is perhaps the most minute of them all. For me, Soong Joong Ki doesn't really strike me as a consigliere who experienced a lot from the mafia because he looks... too clean... and soft... This is just personal preference but hey.

Second was how it wanted to be serious and not serious at the same time. This leads to a very confusing mix of genres. As other reviewers have pointed out, these two elements didn't really work together. The comedy kills the seriousness that this drama has while the gory and violent scenes kills the comedy. When balanced well, it could lead to a good drama. In Vincenzo, the tone is a confusing mess.

The third problem I had was how shallowly written the characters in this drama were. This became more obvious when I watched the screenwriter's other work, the Fiery Priest which had better-written characters. Characterization was where a lot of the missed opportunities that this drama had.

First, is with Hong Cha Yeong, her father's death could've been an interesting point for her character to grow but she gets sidelined into sometimes an obnoxious FL as the focus has been on the titular ML. Knowing her character can be something more, this is why I am not buying into the fanservice thrown by the drama as I don't see the point of it story-wise despite it being eye-candy for the audience. For me, it feels forced.

The second one is with this show's villains. Taecyeon's character was introduced to be a cunning and cruel psychopath and it was good until he revealed himself. I was expecting for him to be an active villain but he was more of a passive, spoiled brat who doesn't take part in the scheming of bringing Vincenzo down and instead leaves it all on the female prosecutor-turned-attorney of Wusang and complain that when the schemes fail.

The fourth issue, while minor, I had with this drama is when they tried to lighten up Vincenzo's character when they tried to introduce an animal companion, the scenes end up cringey. Though, I kinda like how it got concluded though it seemed ridiculous.

If you want a popcorn drama that has little struggles to offer its protragonists, has spectacle, the actors that you like seeing onscreen without having to think deep into the plot, you might like this drama.

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One of the Worst KDramas in history! Period!

I don't even understand where to start with! I honestly, on a very serious note, beg you to not get swayed away by these high ratings on MDL. After all these 26 hours of utter headache, I can very rightly say that all these are either paid or written by crazy, illogical, shallow Song-Joong Ki fangirls. And the entire show just seems to be a total SJK fan-service, and nothing else!

There are several reasons as why to this show piqued my frustrations levels, so let's get to the point with what went wrong with the drama.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

1) STORY/SCRIPTWRITING:
What the heck was with the story??? It merely felt like the show was written by a mere 16-17 year kid expecting the audience to get apalled by lame comedy, which can't even be called BLACK, just dumb lame. The ML just sitting blindly staring at his TV predicts every move of the villain from GOD knows what kind of premonitions. One skinny ken doll crippling an entire mob of gangsters? A middle aged guy stabbing thugs with scissors? The villain killing off all sorts of guys without even bringing a trace of doubt to the public? An international security service police fan-boying a Mafia? Lol even kids can write a better story than this! And don't even get me started on INZAGI!!! Like wtf!! Am I sitting here watching a cartoon in the name of black comedy? The entire point of Vincenzo coming to Korea to come and retrieve his Gold and ends up keeping it back in Korea as a bed for his lover? The main villain can kill off every damn person involved in his heinous deeds, but failed to harm an ant from the Geumgo Plaza? My goodness, it felt like I'm watching some illogical bollywood movie just earning in the name of a Hero!

2) ACTING:
The FL (X_X), I would've been really happy if she was the one killed off first instead of her father! Like honestly, how can you even look at yourself in the mirror after all those indigestible doses of overacting! Like you can call yourself a righteous competitive lawyer and can't even fight a single case with sincerity? All the slapstick comedies from the supporting actors were way too overdone and lame, I couldn't even bring myself to a chuckle, they were all plain annoying! The writer seemed to shock the public with innumerable deaths like some sort of a GOT genre, but failed to bring out even an ounce of emotional attachment for the deceased for such bad character developments! It was majorly Taecyon's and the Female villain's acting that desperately tried to save the show from churning to pieces, but in vain!

3) EXCESSIVE GLORIFICATION OF VIGILANTE JUSTICE:
If some people might be thinking that the core concept of the show was this, let me correct you, it is not. The main character was just an egoistic self righteous dickhead who just wanted to procure his belongings, but got stumbled upon nonetheless. Vigilant justice should be never be, at least in my opinion, ever be justified. There are layers and layers behind any sort of criminal case with loads of loopholes and connected people and it should always be dealt with sensitively with a lot of afterthought. Unlike here, where the law was turned into an entire state of mockery.

4) EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF QUEERBAITING/ HOMOPHOBIA:
The number of times the show portrayed really unnecessary uncomfortable queer-baiting scenes, with the ML being a total homophobe. Even the gay character was portrayed in such a cliché manner with such terrible portrayal of lgbt characters, as if South Korea doesn't have it's fair share of innate homophobia!

5) NO RESPECT FOR RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS:
There wasn't any direct attack on anyone's religious sentiments, but it wasn't even shown in a good light, but was instead portrayed as a mere comedic tool!

WHAT WORKED???
Well, I really tried to find it but couldn't! :( No hate here but there wasn't a single likeable element in the entire show that I felt so far. It was a total waste of my time!

I usually have really high expectations out of any KDrama, cause they have never actually ever let me down, at least not to this extent that this drama did, solely the reason that I pulled myself together to finish this hoping something might pull the strings! But Alas! If would've been my 2nd or 3rd Kdrama I would've totally stopped watching KDramas altogether XD! It is really disturbing to see to what extent people can go just to support and promote their favourite actor/idol, even if they make utter shit! Luckily I've chose my dramas list carefully and trusted my instincts! :P

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overrated ? i dont think so- not for everyone

I tend to get bored easily with long series, but I stayed in suspense throughout all 20 episodes.
One of the excellent things about the series is that the plot only develops and improves from episode to episode and keeps the interest of the viewer.
Another special and amazing thing about this drama is the exact combination of action, sophistication, and humor.
The series has such funny parts, exactly at the right time and in the right dose.
Highly recommend the series!! She is officially one of my favorites, and I will watch her over and over again.
such a refreshing role to the ML not typical like most dramas.
the cast was amazing the chemistry between the main lead was great, even without a full of romance scene.

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I got an account just for this!

I finished watching the last episode a few minutes ago and honestly, I just need to talk about this drama so .... here we are.
it took me a few episodes to actually get into vincenzo. I even stopped three episodes in and took a one week break ;I just could not see what everyone was raving about... but after picking it up again...well .. here we are. opening accounts and all.

I'll keep it short.
this are a few of the best parts of vincenzo...at least for me;
1.The characters are consistent and their arches feel plausible. plus the acting is solid . especially after the third ish episode
when the story gets going, you can feel them settle into their roles and just pop.
2.the writing is lethal . it pulls no punches. its one of the few dramas that actually delivers on a promise and doesn't just play it safe (up to the point of making me uncomfortable, but in the best way, I promise.)... like i said , it takes a bit for the story to get going but when it does, it DOES NOT STOP. it really does not. from the action to the emotion it just does not stop.
3. i don't know why its classed as a romcom but it so much more than that honestly ,and that appealed to me. it can be silly and funny the switch up and become very dark, very fast and somehow not feel like unmatched puzzle pieces. it just fits . somehow
4. last but not least...that has to be one of the most memorable last episodes i have watched in a while. this is because of the first two reasons i gave, solid consistent characters and ruthless writing. What a ride. If i was in a theater I'd stand and clap, i really would. If for no other reason .... watch it for the finale

all in all... a story with badassery, heart, laughs and tears( or screams, depending on how you vent... i nearly lost my voice this last hour. ( I'm not over it!!!! i mean they just.. they just... I'm trying so hard not to spoil! Do watch to understand my devastation))

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taecyeon playing a crazy CEO serial killer pretending to be a naïve lawyer is by far the best part of the show but I literally hated everything else. Vincenzo is a self impressed self righteous sum bag with thinks he's hot shit when he's just as bad as the villain's and not even half as fun. does terrible shit and facing no consequences for his actions and is honestly rewarded for all the bad things he does. the female leads and the tenants of the apartment building are all in a different show. the tine is all over the place. not fun the only thing I cared about was taecyeon and anything he was doing he's the only reason this was not dropped

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Only for Kdrama newbies or it is wasted

I heard a lot about this drama, so I just decided to check it out. I completed it with great difficulty because of unnecessary dragging. It's not the worst I watch but it's not the best which everyone claims.

If you are a kdrama newbie, just watch it, it's an average drama with good entertainment. But if you are a regular watcher of classic thrillers like Stranger, Flower of Evil, Children of nobody, don't waste your 20 hours.

PROS -

Good Direction/Cinematography - The budget and thought both are present in each shot of this drama. Any shot of drama compel you to watch and attract you. This is type of direction which attract you to watch drama just from teaser or short clip in fmv

Music - Let's talk about music, each and every ost as well bgm just create magic on screen. Definitely in top of my list.

Acting - Acting is very good. Every actor give their best in margin and according to their character but only few get shine . Kwak dong yeon stood out for me with his subtle acting.

CONS -

Story - Bad vs Good - it's old, let's make it Bad vs Evil. Meh, what were they thinking. This story can get pretty decent if they ended drama in 16 episodes. There are unnecessary side characters, clashing of morals of characters, as well some annoying characters. Vincenzo can be a good character-driven plot as the title name suggest but sadly it is the action-driven plot. I can't connect to any of the characters, they just do action but I can't feel for them. It's the same with every character, giving an unnecessary dark past to characters does not make them vulnerable, you need to make the characters connected from the audience. Vincenzo character leaves no influence on me, no remembrance.

Comedy - There is suddenly a new trend in the kdrama industry to include comedy with every genre. They just stopped making dark thrillers. One or two puns were decent and I chuckled but comedy overall the place break the momentum for me

Mafia in Genre - Where? Just one question? Where is that element? The gun Vincenzo hold.

Acting - Acting have cons too, SJK is a pretty actor who has his class. Either it is character or acting, but he left no impact on me. There are few actors and main roles who leave left a longtime impact - Mo Tae gu of voice for example. Hence no character in drama can be termed as iconic. Female lead annoy the hell out of me, I don't want to disregard her acting, she did well with character but it's just OTT

Hype - This is not dramas cons but of audience. The audience hyped some dramas like it is the best thing ever which make people expectations high. But it went flat when you tune in to show ,when you realise there are better options to watch.

Overall, I am not telling you not to watch, if you have plenty of time, go watch it and enjoy the action. But if you have less time and you watch classic thrillers, please don't go ahead.

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FINALLY! A DRAMA WORTH TO WATCH A MILLION TIMES!!!

This is what you called MASTERPIECE. Everything is perfect. Cast, Plot, Characters, OST's, Side Characters, everything is perfect! Definitely my favorite kdrama now out of all the kdrama's I've watched before, this really stands out seriously. Some says it's boring, eh? I wonder what's their favorite kdrama though. LOL. It has a lot of humor and wisdoms you can really enjoy and reflect to. It's great because you can really learn a lot of important things here especially, the reality of villains, the true story of politicians and media. I gained a lot from this, especially the one that's about regrets and how the two leads got to learned from it. I swear this is so funny, not just drama, not just an action or violence, this is a whole package, definitely not boring. I am actually kindof picky when it comes to a story or plot of a movie or drama's because I get so bored when it's just about romance or slice of life genre. That's why I got to love this because it covers many different kinds of genres like action, comedy, drama, violence, with a touch of a little bit romance. This is also why I love the characters, especially the female lead character,she's not the kind of toxic female characters who gets so boring and iritating that always want to change the male lead characters the ways they want to. However, the case of Hong Chayoung, she never change Vincenzo but she supported him in everything even though there are times that she thinks it's too much, she never judge him or his job or everything about him. They have completely different personalities, they're like a yin yang, they fit for each other. The mischievousness of Hong Chayoung and the seriousness of Vincenzo. There's so much more in this drama so much more characters you can really enjoy and have a good laugh. Highly recommended. I am hoping for season 2, the ending is a cliff hanger which makes it more interesting and got the viewers curious. All in all, perfection. Masterpiece.

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one of the best things i've seen

it is a beautiful show. everything is amazing. i got an account just to write this. may not be everyone's cup of tea but you have to try it at least once.

the revenge in this show is immaculate. no kidding folks, it's out there and brutal.
the slow burn is quite possibly one of the best out there, not to mention the chemistry between the leads.
there is no redemption arc for our anti-hero. no 'he needs to be saved' bullshit.
the female lead is a Queen. i lover her to death.
the music. oh God, the music. where do i even begin.
production is top-notch. netflix and tvn came out with the big guns.
lastly, the acting. holy hell, give Song Joong-ki all the awards. man scared the absolute life out of me. more than once. him and Ok Taecyeon gave me chills. Joen Yeo-bin was campy, fierce and so strong that i fell in love.

fair warning though: this show will give anxiety. but you'll keep coming back for more. it's that good.

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