You Probably Missed This Amazing Netflix Western Series — Fix That (2025)

Netflix may not be the king of Westerns, but the streamer is certainly a fan of frontier storytelling. Aside from hosting popular entries in the genre like 2021's The Power of the Dog and all six seasons of Longmire, the platform has demonstrated an interest in the Old West's biggest names with more recent series like Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War and its global distribution of Wynonna Earp. These more contemporary takes on the classic cinematic category push the limits of Western drama and representation. Yet their turn in the spotlight can also easily overshadow some of Netflix's most underrated Western narratives. And out of all these unsung series, there's one exemplary journey to the West that you really don't want to miss--the 2023 Korean action drama Song of the Bandits.

Co-created by Han Jung-hoon and Hwang Jun-hyuk and set in Japanese-occupied Korea at the beginning of the twentieth century, Song of the Bandits is a unique entry into the Western canon that trades a classic Western locale for the lawless Gando region, a disputed border territory in present-day Northeastern China where bandits, suppressed locals--known as Joseons after the Joseon Dynasty which Japan overthrew--and Japan's brutal colonial authorities clash in a seemingly endless series of disputes. With relentless action, compelling drama, and fast-paced storytelling packed into its nine episodes, the Netflix series delivers a narrative powerful enough to inspire Song of the Bandits' most critical viewers, though the show ultimately failed to garner a broad following upon release. Still, with a talented cast and important themes, the series is a hidden gem of historical warfare and epic Western storytelling, making it more than deserving of a second look from fans of both.

What Is Netflix’s ‘Song of the Bandits’ About?

The series centers on Kim Nam-gil's Lee Yoon, a former Korean slave who joined the Japanese military with his former master, Lee Gwang-il (Lee Hyun-wook), as the country's colonial occupation began. Haunted by the atrocities he committed against Korean Independence fighters during his service, Lee Yoon departs from his current station in Episode 1 to journey north to Gando, where he hopes to surrender his life to former Independence General Choi Choong-soo (Yoo Jae-myung) as recompense for his crimes. Instead, the pair's bitter reunion is soon interrupted when bandits attack the general's village, leading to Lee Yoon single-handedly attacking the bandits' headquarters to rescue a girl taken during the raid. At this point, the series comes into its name, as Choi Choong-soo suggests Lee Yoon can make amends for his mistakes by protecting the Joseon people instead of dying for his sins.

This suggestion leads the two men to form their own company of bandits in Episode 2, resulting in an homage to Western team-ups like The Magnificent Seven as they gather a band of desperate outlaws to protect Choi Choong-soo's village and utilize guerrilla tactics against the Japanese. After Lee Yoon's group successfully wipes out an entire Japanese garrison, the scope of their conflict only broadens as the series' primary bandits vie with the remnants of Korea's Independence Army, fellow outlaws, and the Japanese for control of railroad funds that are crucial to survival in Song of the Bandits' main narrative arc. Moreover, matters are complicated further when Gwang-il, who goes by the name Major Miura Shohei in the army, is dispatched to protect the money, leading to a thrilling clash between both men's conflicting cultures and classes.

‘Song of the Bandits’ Mixes Thrilling Action Sequences With K-Drama Politics for an Exhilarating Western Experience

However, what really stands out in the Netflix series is how Jung-hoon and Jun-hyuk take advantage of traditional Western aesthetics to elevate their narrative. While Song of the Bandits' politics and geography may feel unfamiliar to fans of traditional American Westerns, the series' most exhilarating sequences unfold when the show blends recognizable Western tropes with the backstabbing intrigue of the arid Gando landscape. Lee Yoon's gunfight at the end of Episode 1 is an especially brutal fight scene with all the one-sided, unflinching bitterness of Unforgiven, while Episode 4's attack on an armored van mixes Song of the Bandits' practical effects with the urgency of its political narrative. Likewise, Lee Yoon's duel with Gwang-il in Episode 9 highlights the protagonist's prowess in a classic desert standoff, showcasing the bandit's quick draw like Val Kilmer in Tombstone to solidify Song of the Bandits' place among the most thrilling entries in the genre.

Aside from violence, the series also faithfully portrays the independence and courage of Westerns' archetypal heroines, with Seohyun's Nam Hee-shin and Lee Ho-jung's Eon-Nyeon proving especially compelling as the fight for the Japanese funds unfolds. As an assassin originally hired by Gwang-il to kill Lee Yoon, Eon-Nyeon's subsequent acceptance of Lee Yoon and Choi Choong-soo as her chosen family provides a hard-won redemption arc to Gando's cutthroat landscape, while Nam Hee-shin shines as a former Joseon noble attempting to support Korea's Independence Army from within the Japanese government. When Lee Yoon recognizes Hee-shin as the woman he loved while still a Japanese officer himself, the two grow closer and eventually deliver the funds to the Independence movement together, yet the pair's relationship is complicated by the fact that Hee-shin is also engaged to Gwang-il. This entanglement creates a classic love triangle that balances the romantic politics of a riveting K-drama with Song of the Bandits' much more deadly historical backdrop.

Netflix’s Underrated Western Is a Poignant Glimpse Into the Struggles of a Divided People

The political and cultural struggles depicted throughout Song of the Bandits are, without a doubt, the most moving aspects of the series, and Yoo Jae-myung, in particular, offers a heartbreaking performance as the worn veteran desperate to see his Joseon people freed. Choi Choong-soo's apology to Eon-Nyeon at the start of Episode 6 encapsulates the solemn grief felt by Joseon survivors, as the once-invincible General confesses his generation should never have left their children with such a ruined state, but Song of the Bandits also goes to great lengths to demonstrate the cruelty of Japan's occupying army. Although the main events of the series are only loosely based on Korea's March First Movement of 1919, the series still doesn't shy away from depicting the cost of imperialism on the perpetually victimized Joseon people.

The series' recollection of the Gurye Incident, the moment from Lee Yoon's past that resulted in the destruction of Choi Choong-soo's village and the slaughter of his family, is particularly horrific, as are the summary executions of alleged freedom fighters carried out by the Japanese consulate in Gando regularly. Yet, as horrific as these war crimes and Gwang-il's slaughter of civilians in Episode 5 are, Song of the Bandits also promotes a deeper message about social unity. Between Joseon bandits handing over Independence fighters to the Japanese for rewards and both Lee Yoon and Eon-Nyeon recounting how their parents were unjustly killed by their fellow Joseon, Song of the Bandits devotes equal time to describing how oppressed populations just as often turn on one another, ultimately advocating for forgiveness when Eon-Nyeon refuses to punish Choi Choong-soo for the murder of her parents.

Just as all series suffer from their own unique shortcomings, Song of the Bandits isn't perfect. In particular, the show's tone deviates from its dark beginnings in favor of a slower, more comedic atmosphere in later episodes, and the love triangle between Lee Yoon, Hee-shin, and Gwang-il isn't suitably resolved by the finale (possibly in anticipation of a potential Season 2). Yet, with nonstop action sequences whose ringing steel and clashing bayonets provide the music of the series title, riveting gunfights, and chase scenes, and deep social commentary on what it means for a people to survive colonial oppression, Song of the Bandits is still a phenomenal television outing that proves audiences don't need to flock to the most popular Westerns on streaming to enjoy some of the genre's most unique stories.

Song of the Bandits

TV-MA

Action

Drama

History

Release Date

September 22, 2023

Cast

Kim Nam-gil , Seohyun , Hyun-Wook Lee , Yoo Jae-myung

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

1

Song of the Bandits is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

WATCH ON NETFLIX