Vincenzo, the South Korean dark comedy mafia-themed series has come to a close on the first weekend of May 2021. With all 20 episodes now available on Netflix, the question is: Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.
Mafia Style
South Korean superstar Song Joong-Ki portrays the titular character Vincenzo who was raised in Italy and grew up as the consigliere of the Cassano family. Following a fallout with the mafia’s new boss, Vincenzo finds his way back home in Korea in search of hidden gold.
In Korea, however, Vincenzo learns that retrieving the hidden gold will not be that easy. And he must work his way against some of the nation’s most ruthless leaders Mafia Style.
Not Your Usual K-Drama
Vincenzo veers away from the rom-com tropes that has plagued most of the K-Drama over the years. The series instead has its own unique brand of dark comedy. And I mean dark as in violent fist fights and bloody gun fights. And honestly, if not for the comedy, Vincenzo could have gotten way darker.
Initially, I thought Vincenzo would have been fine without the comedy. But as the series went along, I realized that the humor was indeed necessary, or it would have been very difficult to process the violence portrayed in the show for most viewers.
That being said, the series did so well in finding great balance between brutality and satire. Expect no shortage of executions and assassinations a la Godfather but be prepared to laugh out loud of the show’s sheer silliness.
Gold🥇
Vincenzo is propelled by Song Joong-Ki’s captivating portrayal of the titular character coupled with the wits and charms of Jeon Yeo-been’s Hong Cha-young. Yeo-been’s Hong Cha-young may seem a little over-the-top at first but she’s so delightful you’ll love her. Kim Yeo-jin impresses as the cunning Zumba-loving lawyer and so does Kwak Dong-yeon’s portrayal of the extremely dim-witted Jang Han-seo.
It is the masterful performance of Ok Taec-yeon’s psychopathic Jang Han-seok, however, that amazed me so much. Song Joong-ki’s Vincenzo draws you in but Taec-yeon’s Han-seok keeps you there.
Add to that the great gang of characters from Geumga Plaza and we get a K-Drama that is pure GOLD.
The characters are pretty solid. The plot is near perfect (except for that one borderline homophobic episode). The twists and turns in are unpredictable and wildly entertaining. Yeah, Vincenzo is GOLD.
Skip or Watch?
Vincenzo is a rare breed of K-Drama that does not rely heavily in the rom-com trope. Instead, it does not shy away in bringing its own unique brand of comedy blended with the right amount of violence. And all the while keeping that K-Drama charm that we all know and love.
Mad acting and a crazy plot. Sometimes, that’s all you need and Vincenzo proves it.
Yes, this show is a must-watch.
VERDICT: WATCH!
Here is salida|etc’s rating for Vincenzo.
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