Genre- Action, Comedy, Law, Crime
Vincenzo follows the story of consigliere Vincenzo Cassano, who returns to Korea after cutting ties with his adoptive Mafia family. Vincenzo returns to Korea with the same bitterness that he left it. He has an ulterior motive behind coming here- Lots of gold stashed in a secret room underneath a building named Geumga Plaza. After visiting the building he notices that the task of acquiring the gold isn’t going to be easy.
For, the building houses tenants, who are one of a kind and they are suspicious of outsiders. They are the least of his concerns as he learns that the Babel Group has an eye on the building too. They have acquired the building illegally under the pretext of redevelopment.
After a tragic turn of events, Vincenzo decides to go back to his mafia ways to get back control of the building. To get his plan in motion, he uses resources that are readily and willingly available- the tenants. What follows is an action-packed and fun-filled series.
What makes Vincenzo a good watch is the game of cat and mouse between the protagonist and the antagonist. Vincenzo is not just a mafia in the name. He holds true to his mafia character when he makes good of his threats in mafia-style. The scare tactics he employs to threaten the antagonists are a good watch. The antagonists, on the other hand, do an extremely good job and they make an impact whenever they are on screen. One looks forward to seeing their next move.
For a drama that involves lawyers and lawsuits, Vincenzo doesn’t have much of the trial scenes, which keep the drama on the entertaining side. Most of the action takes place out of the courtroom which makes the drama engaging and interesting.
Song Joong-Ki portrays Vincenzo Cassano, a smooth manipulator suited up in a calm and composed personality. He always maintains a straight face no matter what situation he is in. He is adopted into the Cassano Mafia family at a young age and grows up in Italy. He has a bitter feeling towards his homeland, which he had to leave at an early age due to an unfortunate turn of events in his life. He has a deep outlook towards life, which is usually seen, in the form of his dialogues. He never loses sight of his goal at any point in the series. Throughout the series, he seems detached from the rest of the characters. He becomes the advisor at Jipuragi Law firm in Geumga plaza to get his hands on the stash of gold hidden in the building. Later, he decides to join hands with the tenants to get his plan in motion. In the beginning, he finds it difficult to bear their antics but he slowly warms up to them. Song Joong Ki has carried off the role easily.
Jeon Yeo-Bin portrays Hong Cha-Young- a shrewd and smart lawyer. She works at Wusang Law Firm and is extremely loyal to her employers. Being ambitious, she bribes and lies her way through everything to get her job done. She fiercely disapproves of her father’s righteous way of practising law. Hong Cha Young later joins her father’s Jipuragi Law firm at Geumga Plaza after his death and becomes the perfect sidekick for Vincenzo. She is a delight to watch on screen especially when she adapts to Vincenzo’s unorthodox mafia ways of dealing with issues. She is brave and witty. Hong is Vincenzo’s love interest and though there is just a subtle hint of romance in the plot, their on-screen chemistry is good. Jeon Yeo Bin has delivered the role well.
Jang Han Seok is the real power behind the Babel group and he prefers to stay out of the limelight. His identity is revealed early on in the series and it comes as good suspense. His psychotic character is portrayed uniquely which makes him extremely dangerous. He is the face of evil and he wears a cold smile every time he is faced with adversity. He easily lures people into his web and gets things done.
TaecYeon portrays Jang Joon-Woo who works at the Wusang law firm as Hong Ja’s assistant. He sides with Hong Cha Young no matter what she says. He seems to nurse unrequited love for her. He has a secret of his own. His performance is laudable.
Kwak Dong-Yeon portrays Chairman Jang Han-Seo, the acting Chairman of the Babel group. He seems spoilt and rude in the beginning. He is reckless in his behaviour as he doesn’t know what he is doing. At times he makes wrong moves which put him in jeopardy. His character grows on the viewer as the series progresses. He is proof that one can start off being bad but still do good. Kwak has portrayed the role well.
Kim Yeo-Jin portrays Choi Myung-Hee, a prosecutor turned lawyer at Wusang Law Firm. She is one of the main antagonists in the plot. She is the character whom the viewer takes an instant dislike to as she has no conscience. She comes across as a cold and heartless woman as she finds it easy to resort to murder whenever she faces an obstacle. She is calculative and knows to choose the lucrative side. She outdoes herself in every episode and is the epitome of evil. Kim Yeo Jin has done an amazing job in this role.
Jo Han-Chul portrays Han Seung-Hyeok, Wusang Law firm’s CEO. There is a lot of dark humour where Han is involved. He comes across as a coward who sneakily jumps ship when he has the chance. That said, he is shrewd and cunning in his job.
The tenants of Geumga Plaza form a major part of the storyline. After meeting with them, Vincenzo has no choice but to give in to their antics/ requests. He goes through a character change when he gets to know them on a day to day basis. All of them are affection personified and remain fiercely loyal to Vincenzo. They add a lot of humour to this drama. The intelligence bureau also forms a part of the comic storyline.
The drama portrays revenge and betrayal very well. It shows both the unforgiving and protective side of the mafia. The actions scenes are well made. There are quite a few scenes that defy logic that makes the drama lose momentum now and then.
The drama is an action-packed comedy. Often viewers are caught off guard when an extremely serious action scene takes a turn in a comic way and dissolves into nothing. But, the drama manages to set up the serious tone again.
The series shows that not all killers are villains and not all villains are evil. It depicts that when the justice system has loopholes, one has no choice but to resort to criminal methods to tackle it. Despite having a deep and serious main plot, the humour exceeds the action content of the drama and leaves it as a light-hearted series. Vincenzo showcases a storyline where genuineness, loyalty and intelligence win over brute force and power. It is an entertaining watch.
-By Soul Sword-
The Writers Room 
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