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Song of the Bandits · Season 1 · Netflix

Song of the Bandits Season 1

Song of the Bandits Season 1 is a WORTH-IT, BollyMeter 7.2/10. 9 episodes on Netflix from 22 September 2023.

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BollyMeter7.2/1086 percent Rotten Tomatoes from 7 critics and an IMDb 7.2 reflect a strong genre exercise that critic Jonathon Wilson called broadly appealing for its stellar action and sumptuous production - but the hollow emotional core keeps it a premium watch rather than a must.

Updated

What BollyAI Thinks

Netflix dropped all nine episodes on September 22, 2023, backed by a reported 30 billion won production budget that is visible in every frame. Set against the 1920s Japanese occupation, the show follows dispossessed Koreans who flee to the Chinese border region of Gando and fight back. Critics at Rotten Tomatoes approved at 86 percent, with Ready Steady Cut calling it 'broadly-appealing' for its genre craft and SCMP noting the Western styling while questioning its emotional depth. Kim Nam-gil commands the screen as the brooding Lee Yoon. The action choreography and period production design were the near-universal talking points; character interiority was the gap. An audience score of 88 percent Popcornmeter and IMDb 7.2 tell the story of a crowd-pleaser that delivers on spectacle.

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The Room

86%critics positive · n=77.2/10IMDb audience
  • “Stellar action, a breakneck pace, and sumptuous production make Song of the Bandits one of the more broadly-appealing Korean dramas in recent memory.”
    Ready Steady Cut

Standout Episodes

The hours worth arguing about - premieres, finales, and the turning points. BollyAI reads the room episode by episode.

  1. E1Episode 17.5

    The premiere establishes the show's Western-coded visual identity immediately - dusty Gando frontier, Korean exiles, and a taciturn swordsman arriving with a mission. The set-up is economical and the action confident, signalling a premium production that knows its genre.

    The moment: Lee Yoon's arrival in Gando - the show announces its genre ambitions without hesitation.

    Full review of E1 →
  2. E9Episode 97.0

    The finale converges all factions for the confrontation the season has been building toward. Action delivery follows through on the show's promise; the emotional payoffs are more conventional but the scale is impressive for a streaming-first Korean production.

    The moment: The assembled bandits facing the Japanese army - the show's big-canvas action finally delivered at full budget.

    Full review of E9 →