Netflix’s landscape has evolved drastically since its first acquisition of international streaming rights for Lilyhammer, its first “exclusive” series. In the 14 years since, the service has become a multifaceted provider of entertainment for every preference, but its earliest addictive series featured a blend of mafia drama and dark humor, sharing surprising overlap with one 2021 K-drama.

Vincenzo, released in the middle of producer Studio Dragon’s current 10-year run since its debut as a leading K-drama studio, embodies that same darkly funny spirit. Introducing viewers to Vincent Cassano, a South Korean man adopted into the Cassano crime family, Vincenzo follows his return to his roots in Seoul where he takes down a rival organization, the shady Babel Pharmaceutial Group.

Viewers are treated to a glorious premiere in which Vincenzo carries out the dying wish of his adoptive father, Fabio Cassano, setting fire to a rival mob boss’ vineyard, while deftly thwarting an assassination attempt by his adoptive brother, Paolo. Despite the tonal whiplash of him coming to a humbler corner of Seoul, Vincenzo’s darkness always lurks around the corner.

Netflix’s Slickest Mob Drama Is Worth Checking Out

Vincenzo is a dense viewing experience for Netflix users craving something both binge-worthy and substantial. It clocks in at 20 episodes, each running in at just under 1.5 hours runtime apiece, with a detailed saga of Vincenzo as he goes back to Korea to recover a gold bullion stash he hid for a recently-deceased Chinese business associate.

This leads Vincenzo to Geumga Plaza, in which its residents have a small assortment of quirky small business, all of whom he must win over despite being their rightful owner, as the villainous Babel Group looms overhead, wishing to convert the building for their own means. But this pharmaceutical company has its own skeletons in its closet.

The fish-out-of-water premise of Vincenzo bears striking resemblance to Steven Van Zandt’s Frank Tagliano, New York underboss placed under witness protection in Norway in Lilyhammer. Far removed from the charmed life as a mafioso in Italy, Vincenzo goes back to his motherland, seeing it as a downgrade, while clashing with a particular lawyer defending the Babel Group.

Viewers might notice a stark tonal shift from the beginning of Vincenzo episode #1 until even before its credits roll. It feels like the average premise of a K-drama in which a humbled former jet-setter finds love and community in their old home. While much of this still happens, don’t be deceived: Vincenzo is surprisingly, incredibly dark when it needs to be.

Vincenzo Is as Dark as It Needs To Be, When It Needs To Be

Much of the first three episodes of Vincenzo feel similar to other recent K-dramas like The Judge Returns or Lovely Runner, that is, establishing a dark origin, only to establish conventions where this can be reversed. Vincenzo has no such fantasy, but similarly disarms viewers by letting them think its star’s troubles are behind him once he escapes to Seoul.

However, even throughout episode #3, this is demonstrably shown not to be the case. While Vincenzo tries to win over Geumga Plaza, Babel has its fixer kill a would-be whistleblower, sending thugs disguised as police officers who beat him to death. Beyond the initial home invasion scene, Vincenzo himself has a violent streak, torturing those who have wronged his family.

It’s a strong reminder of the multifaceted offerings of K-dramas and Korean cinema as a whole. The saccharine setting of much of the story is disarmingly light, and wonderfully charming, with Vincenzo confronting his past and even falling in love with his former opposition, Babel Group-contracted attorney Hong Cha-young.

But despite enduring friendships formed with the residents of Geumga Plaza against their common enemy of Babel, Vincenzo’s veneer of humor is still undercut by its mob roots. Its central character is guided by an underlying current of nihilism, one where defeating the world’s enemies doesn’t so much call for justice, as much as it demands ruthless vengeance.

Release Date

2021 – 2021-00-00

Directors

Kim Hee-won

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