What if Netflix had a new hit? This Friday, September 22nd, the platform will introduce its new Korean series, Bandit Song. This historical action program takes place in the 1920s, during the occupation of South Korean territory by the Imperial Japanese Army.
A group of resistance fighters emigrates to a remote region to escape the occupier, where the mercenaries decide to form a rebel group to fight the occupier and allow Korea to regain its freedom.
Taken from real historical facts, Song of the Bandits seems to take the form of an unofficial retelling of the film Seven Mercenaries, which itself is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. This Western aesthetic brings an epic and romantic breath to this story of anti-heroes driven by their courage and taste for freedom.
A western made in Korea
The western atmosphere of the series is also reminiscent of The Good, the Bad and the Crazy. Except that Bandit Song doesn’t capture the offbeat tone that emerged from Kim Ji-woon’s feature film, which was created as a tribute to Sergio Leone’s Italian westerns.
Made for around €21 million, the series benefited from a higher budget than the first season of Squid Game (around €15 million).
A high amount, but it is necessary to shoot this series in a natural environment, to build many scenes, but also to ensure that the action scenes are shot.
Conceived by Hwang Joon Hyuk (director of drama Black Dog), the series stars Kim Nam-gil (Pandora) as a Japanese deserter who unites for the cause of the Korean people, Yoo Jae-myung (Itaewon Class) as one of the resistance leaders, or even Seohyun (Private life) shoes of a freedom fighter.
Korean TV series Song of the Bandits is now available exclusively on Netflix.
Discover the list of all series currently available on the platform!
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
