Few K-dramas commit as fully to their own genre-blending madness as Vincenzo. It’s part dark comedy, part legal thriller, part full-blown mafia revenge saga. So it shouldn’t work as a cohesive whole. Yet it became one of 2021’s most beloved dramas, anchored by a career-redefining performance from Song Joong-ki as a mafia consigliere turned neighborhood avenger.
Overview
Director Kim Hee-won and writer Park Jae-beom built Vincenzo (빈센조), a 2021 South Korean television series starring Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taecyeon, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It follows Vincenzo Cassano, a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer who returns to his birth country of Korea. There, he discovers a corrupt conglomerate preying on the ordinary tenants of a small plaza building. So he decides to give the company a taste of its own medicine — mafia style, with a side of justice.
Basic Details
| Details | Info. |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Crime, Legal Thriller |
| Episodes | 20 |
| Runtime | ~80 minutes per episode |
| Director | Kim Hee-won |
| Cast | Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taecyeon, Kwak Dong-yeon, Kim Yeo-jin, Jo Han-chul |
| Release Date | February 20, 2021 |
| Where to Watch | Netflix |
| IMDb Rating | 8.4/10 |
Plot Summary
An Italian family adopted Vincenzo Cassano as a child and raised him within the world of the mafia. He eventually rose to become a skilled consigliere and lawyer for Italy’s Cassano family. Then a mob war forces him to flee. So he returns to Korea, the country of his birth, planning to quietly retrieve a stash of hidden gold and leave as quickly as possible. Those plans collapse the moment he discovers the gold sits buried beneath Geumga Plaza. There, a powerful and corrupt conglomerate called Babel Group targets the building’s eccentric, tightly-knit tenants, determined to seize the property by any means necessary.
The plaza residents’ fight reluctantly draws Vincenzo in. So he teams up with sharp-tongued lawyer Hong Cha-young to take on Babel Group, combining legal maneuvering with distinctly mafia-style tactics. Together, they bend, and often outright break, the rules in pursuit of a rougher, more satisfying justice than the legal system alone could ever deliver. As the battle against Babel’s ruthless leadership escalates across all twenty episodes, alliances shift and loyalties get tested, while the show balances outrageous comedy with genuinely dark, high-stakes drama.
Why You Should Watch It
- Song Joong-ki in a career-defining role. He reportedly learned Italian for the part. His performance as the ice-cold yet oddly endearing Vincenzo stands as one of his best.
- Endless, satisfying plot twists. Reviewers consistently note that the show’s momentum rarely lets up once it gets going. Cliffhangers make bingeing almost irresistible.
- A rare, genuinely compelling villain arc. Ok Taecyeon delivers a chilling performance as Jang Han-seok. Fans frequently single it out as one of the best K-drama villains in recent memory.
Fair warning: the show’s tone genuinely divides viewers. It blends comedy and violence in an over-the-top way that takes some time to adjust to. Many reviews note the first two to three episodes feel slower or more uneven before the story truly finds its footing around episode four. But if you can push through the setup, most agree the payoff is more than worth it.
Recommendations
If Vincenzo worked for you, here’s where to go next:
- My Name — For a darker, more grounded revenge thriller if you want less comedy and more raw intensity.
- Asur — Another genre-blending crime thriller, this time infused with mythology rather than mafia intrigue.
- Mirzapur — For more of the “outsider takes on a corrupt power structure” narrative, in a grittier Indian crime-drama setting.
- Reply 1988 or Hospital Playlist — For more of Studio Dragon’s beloved ensemble-cast storytelling, in a very different genre.
- Mousetrap (2026) — For another Korean thriller blending an unlikely alliance with high-stakes pursuit.
Conclusion
Vincenzo earns its reputation as one of 2021’s standout K-dramas by fully committing to its own delightful chaos. It mixes dark comedy, legal maneuvering, and mafia-style justice into a story that somehow holds together across a full 20 episodes. Thanks to a transformative performance from Song Joong-ki and a genuinely lovable ensemble cast, it remains one of the most purely entertaining entries in the genre, even years after it first aired.