[Song Joong -ki, Jeon Yeo – been, Ok Taec-yeon, Kwak Dong-yeon, Kim Yoe-jin]
Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong-ki) is a Korean-Italian mob lawyer and consigliere of the Cassano crime family. After his adoptive family tragically die, he is adopted by Don Fabio, the head of the Cassano family. He becomes a lawyer and a trusted consigliere to the family. After Fabio dies, Paolo, Fabio’s biological son attempts to kill Vincenzo, he then decides to flee to Korea. Once in Korea, he sets out to recover the 1.5. tons of gold he had secretly stashed within the basement of the Geumga Plaza. It comes to his attention that in order to retrieve the gold he will need to demolish the Geumga Plaza but it’s complicated by the large pharmaceutical corporation Babel Group who have illegally taken control of the building. Unwilling to let his fortune go, Vincenzo must use his skills to reclaim the building. Among the many quirky tenants at Geumga Plaza is the Jipuragi Law firm run by Hong Yoo -chan. At first, he clashes with both Hong Yoo-chan and his daughter Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) but after a shocking tragedy strikes, they join forces to take down Babel Group and all its equally corrupt allies. Knowing that the law is not going to solely help them, Vincenzo uses his knowledge and skills as a consigliere to go against the powerful Babel corporation.
This was a masterpiece that I didn’t expect to love as much as I did. I had my doubts especially with the whole Italian mafia inclusion - I feared it would be cringy but it was anything but that. It was done so tastefully and honestly hearing Song Joong -ki speaking Italian will do things to you. Speaking of which, it has to be said now, Song Joong-ki was perfectly cast as Vincenzo Cassano.
The series itself deals with a number of crippling issues that we face in society. Number one being corruption and the abuse of power from the higher ups. Institutionalised corruption and those that benefit or exploit the law are really taken to task in this series. The female lead, Cha -young, (played by Jeon Yeo – been) is absolutely excellent. Cha-young is feisty and fierce and lovable all at once. She goes head-to-head with every obstacle they meet - have no doubts she’s still got a heart that bleeds and cries plenty throughout the show. She’s bubbly, loud, energetic and fills the space with her presence. For once a female character shines as boldly as the male lead does. She’s powerful and strong in her own rights. You both wanna be her and worship her.
The villain, Jang Han Seok is simply marvellous! (And so it the actor that portrays him) His performance is unforgettable and will give you chills. You can’t help but love how much you hate him and yet you wanna see more of him. He’s unapologetically chaotically evil and we are all here for it. The dynamic that sets itself between Vincenzo and Jang Han Seok is one of the best I’ve seen so far. Only evil can win against evil and in this case, it is very much so. You’re left holding your breath every moment he’s on screen because he is so unpredictably chaotic. It’s maddening and exciting. His chaos is matched only with his second in command, Choi Myung- hee played beautifully by Kim Yeo-jin. She is every bit as vile and evil as him but there is something more sinister, more deadly that rings with her really that makes the hairs on your neck stand up. She’s portrayed as a real ‘ahjumma’ but don’t be fooled for one second.
The romance is subtle and is only second (maybe even third fold) to the rest of the story. And I love it. The goal and focus here is righting wrongs and handing out a sense of justice. I love that the story (and at large the characters) were not sacrificed for the sake of a romance trope. Yes, he would still burn the world down for her but … so would she. Vincenzo makes no apologies for who he is and Cha- young never once asks him to be anyone but himself. While he might be an anti-hero, he still very much has his morals and ethics that he strongly stands by. It’s what makes him such a compelling character.
While a great deal of focus is placed on the main leads, the secondary characters here shine just as much. The depth given to the characters is extraordinary and you find yourself rooting for them all. The Geumga Plaza family is the shining beacon in this story. I will gladly take more episodes of them running cons on some of the most powerful people in the country. They provide a sense of humour that would otherwise make this a very dark and heavy story. You laugh when you least expect it and that keeps you wanting more. The dynamics between the characters is truly masterful and keeps you well intrigued. They bring a sense of heart to the story and gives our anti-hero Vincenzo something to fight for.
The devil is in the details here. Everything about the conception of Vincenzo’s character is well thought out. The Italian influences are easily felt but don’t feel overrated or cliched. His Korean heritage is given a chance to shine upon his return home but they leave enough gaps to remind us that he’s spent majority of his life in Italy as the consigliere to very powerful men.
The cast and performance:
As I’ve already said, Song Joong-Ki was perfectly cast as the main lead here. He embodies Vincenzo Cassano in a way that feels unreal and almost fated to be. There is a great depth he brings to the character and at large the story. As does many of the other secondary characters. Remembering that the plot is heavy on corruption and moral ethics, it can feel very dark at times, but these characters give it light and make you laugh when you least expect and most definitely when you need it most.
The female lead Cha Young played by Jeon Yeo -been is amazing. These two leads had great chemistry and it would have been wonderful even without the subtle romance woven in. Even then, it’s fantastic. She plays Cha Young with a fire and passion that you will absolutely love. Cha Young’s character is almost as chaotic as the occupants of the Geumga Plaza.
Ok Taecyeon and Kwak Dong-yeon play the villainous brothers and wow oh wow! I was not prepared for this duo. It’s fascinating to see them play off each other throughout the series. Without a doubt, the brothers have a tenuous relationship and it creates wonderful tension throughout the series. This duo brings some surprising twists to the story too.
Vincenzo is a sleek story that doesn’t hide from its dirty gritty truth. As a result its got a fantastic soundtrack that really helps carry the highs and lows of this story. There is a hint of the Italian influence in the music at the start that really sets the tone and helps build the enigma that is Vincenzo Cassano.
The story unfolds not in one large moment but through the careful unveiling of unethical characters. It’s set across the majority of the episodes and goes to show how deep the rot is. I might have wished for a different ending … something a little more resolute but realistically keeping in mind how the story unravelled it was just not possible. It’s an open ending that leaves you feeling somewhat hopeful for the characters. It’s worth the watch and I have it on my top five fave kdramas. It might be a slow start for the first two or three episodes but really it just kinda snowballs from there.
