Thief (2023)

Captivating. Cinematic. Action-packed, yet offering impressive quiet & heartwarming tuning, too

Gando is the land of the desperate, the realm of the desperados of Joseon. In the 1920s, it was also a territory in which political responsibilities and affiliations were vaguely regulated. Some things may remind you of the Wild West. Yet this Wild North in the Far East is quite different...

“Song of the Bandits” is a brilliant Netflix historical drama about a certain chapter of recent Korean history. Moving. Captivating. Cinematic. It exudes the vibes of an Eastern. The KDrama surely is gory action and turbulence at most times, but offers impressive quiet and heartwarming tuning, too. Action-packed it is, yet humor and romance modestly fit in as well. "Song of the Bandits" is astonishingly well balanced in this respect and for a Netflix production, despite its polished and action-driven choreography for a broad international audience, sticks surprisingly consistently to a more subtle Korean series style. Nicely done at all scales. We get a feeling of the Manchurian landscape with Gando impressions filmed at original locations. This all framed within a consistently beautiful soundtrack. It all lasts for 9 episodes (only! Yet?). In spite the overall ambitious commercial production context, aiming at an international “Squid Game”-like success, “Song of the Bandits” was able to impress me with a historically and emotionally complex story with great mimes - Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Ho-jung and Lee Hyun-wook in their element. But so is everyone else. This is where KDrama and Netflix perfectly come together...

'Bandit: The Song of the Sword' is the original title. In fact, people don't swing swords so much as they use firearms. The KDrama is epically processed, offers great emotions, while telling about people and the range of motives for which people are prepared to fight. It's about resistance, obedience, venality, oppression, social affiliation, the fight for freedom. There are even some spiritual thoughts attached to it along the way. It is about the Joseon people, some personal fate, as well as 'the' history of Chosen - an emotionally quite ´Korean´ excerpt of modern history. Its thematic historic setting (even if the rest of the world might not care so much about it, as it is not requisite for an entertaining series pleasure) contains a lot of explosive material by Korean standards. Therefore firearms are in several respects quite consistent in this context…

As far as I am concerned, I do care about the historical context. On the contrary, I find it quite intriguing - besides the dramaturgically action-packed and emotionally charged story with its complex, interwoven relationship dynamics and conflicts. As I said, you don't really need to know the background to be enthusiastic about "Song of the Bandits". But if anyone might be interested, see the historical side note about 'Gando', the border region on the north bank of the Tumen river, which today also marks the border between northeast China and North Korea.




PS:
Yep, the ending of the story...
If you like, you can dream of more. It could be possible. Yet, it would still go on and on.
Who knows if there may be a sequel...
Nevertheless, from my perspective the ending is quite fitting. (Whether I like it or not.) In terms of the historical events, things are as they are. We want fiction to write a different ending, but it still wouldn´t be any better, rosier or brighter for hardly any of the various protagonists... Therefore, from a Korean perspective the ending of this story remains true to the spirit of the actual Chosen-history: For Joseon people it is and remains unsatisfactory, unfair and painful. ´We´, as an international audience (temporarily and figuratively with our personal discontent), can/shall/must/may thus empathically share this collective emotion, too.





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SIDE NOTE: --- Gando, also called Jiandao, and today Yanbian ---

Gando historically stands for a specific borderland. To this day it is a region with a high proportion of people of Korean origin.
Gando is a small, perhaps inconspicuous scar in Korean history – yet a scar that is still weeping, sort of...
Gando (and Manchuria in general) is also associated with the regrouping of the Rightous Army and thus with the patriotic pride of resistance against colonial oppression. With "Song of the Bandits", the issue of Gando has now obtained an impressive, international onstage introduction...

This 'Gando', Jiandao or Yanbian was the last nail of hope for an increasing number of desperate people from Joseon (and still is for some North Koreans today) who had nothing to lose and would rather settle for an arduous life and try their luck in this section of Manchuria - a back then relatively undeveloped marshland on the north bank of the Tumen river.
First - in the course of, and especially at the end of, the 19th century - famine and poverty drove poor Joseon people to the far north. Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was the hope to escape from Chosen, which was finally officially annexed by the Japanese. The Righteous Army militia was also formed anew in Manchuria at that time.

After the annexation of Joseon, with respect to a relatively large population of Joseon people, the Japanese as part of their aggressive expansion efforts also demanded this coastal territory north of the Tumen from the Chinese. Infiltration was followed by an invasion in 1907, but already by 1909 there was withdrawal again. Officially, as a result of the diplomatic negotiations, the area eventually became Chinese again and Japan received railroad concessions, while the Joseon people remained under Japanese rule due to their Korean descent.
"Song of the Bandits" sets its story in this political quagmire: the decade before the belligerent 1930s, before the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria, established the puppet state 'Mandschukuo' and used it for its own political and economic purposes. The prerequisite for this was a massive expansion of railway lines - especially the North Chosen Line along the border region between Chosen and Manchuria, that had been built during those previous years, while the Bandits sang their song...


Outlook:
After the end of the Second World War, many Koreans went back to their homeland, but by no means all of them. Around 810,000 people of Korean origin apparently still live in the Yanbian Autonomous District of China's Jilin Province to this day. In 1952, the proportion of the population with a Korean migrant background was around 60 percent. Then, Korean language was official. However, especially since the late 1990s, the Chinese government had specifically tried to force linguistic and cultural assimilation in order to counteract political currents in South Korea and discussions about a possible legitimate Korean claim to 'Gando'. These currents believe that - regarding those dubious events of the early 20th century and Gando Convention between Japan and China becoming obsolete with the ending of the World War II – this Gando territory actually is political void and should now belong to (in this case North?) Korea. Thus, Gando's territorial status for some still is not satisfactorily resolved…
Incidentally, desperate North Korean refugees are continuously trying to get to China via the Tumen river, which is icy during the long, cold winter months. Thus, Gando territory invariably remains a last nail of hope for desperate Koreans even up until today...

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"Times make the wrong choices, but history does not."

Song of the Bandits was a 1920's historical set on the border of China with a decidedly modern feel. It combined the Joseon independence movement with elements from a Sergio Leone spaghetti Western. Gun slingers and bar fights set to a raucous score led by the talented Kim Nam Gil made for an entertaining drama.

Lee Yoon is the freed slave of Lee Kwang Il. Together they joined the Japanese army with Kwang rising in the ranks. Upon receiving a letter with the name and address of a man from Yoon's past he leaves and heads to the border settlements. He is given the gift if not of forgiveness, at least purpose to his life. He puts together a band of talented but misfit bandits. "They wouldn't come here if their brains worked right." An assassin is sent after him and as the days go by and the bandits' missions become more dangerous, the past, a love interest, the assassin, the Japanese, and big badder bandits are all set forth on a collision course that will leave a sea of spurting blood in their wake.

The cinematography and scenery were beautiful. Some of the sets might be familiar to Mr. Sunshine fans and there were also ones that came right out of a wild west town. I enjoyed the variety of music in this drama. The music was engaging, some songs rousing and others more quietly emotional. Spanish guitar was used as well as the whistling from old spaghetti westerns. The fight scenes were creative, blood spurting, and fast-no blurred knives. Much of the action was highly stylized. I particularly liked that the female assassin stayed competent and strong throughout the film with her own code of ethics.

The acting ran the gamut. Kim Nam Gil perfectly fit the conflicted bandit leader. Yoo Jae Myung made for a badass grandpa Legolas with his own checkered past. Lee Ho Jung held her own in scenes with KNG and she made Eon a compelling character. The bandits were archetypes-an axe wielding nimble ex-clown with sticky fingers, a drug addicted sharpshooter, and a mountain of a man. Each actor made their role their own. The relationship between Yoon and his ex-master Kwang felt ill-developed as if the writers couldn't decide if they truly wanted to cut the ties and make them bitter enemies despite Kwang's reprehensible actions. Seo Hyun was the biggest let down. She was unable to bring any depth or interest to her role as Hee Shin, leaving the character as bland as sand. There was no chemistry with Kim Nam Gil which meant when scenes focused on them or the fledgling romance the story ground to a stop.

I enjoyed this drama that for the most part was fast paced and coherent even if it became repetitive and ran out of steam near the end. The ending was abrupt leaving some questions unanswered despite the historical boundaries. That's not to say the drama wasn't entertaining, it was. The chemistry and camaraderie between the bandits and Yoon and Eon were fun and captivating. The scenery was stunning and the music was emotional and enthusiastic. Song of the Bandits brought to life the struggles and fragility of life while being occupied not only in Joseon but in communities on the border. Even though it would take another 25 years to drive the oppressors out, the drama showed how people long to be free and are willing to risk their lives in the face of insurmountable odds to protect their homeland, family, and friends. Whether you are a Kim Nam Gil fan or of historicals in general, this is one to give a try.

9/22/23

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Straightforward plot, Action sequences were lit, Amazing cast

Finished the series in 2 days. Not sure why the ratings here suddenly dropped so much. IMO, it was an exciting series filled with action and some gore (heads up for those who can't stand it). I appreciate how the writer did not over-complicate the plot because it was already action-packed. A complicated plot really wasn't necessary since they only had 9 episodes. Still, I won't say that the plot was very simple. It was rather straightforward and had some layers.

Acting-wise, it was top-notch. Especially loved the scenes with Kim Nam Gil, Cha Jung Hwa, and Lee Ho Jung. The three of them are my favorite characters in this series. They really gave off three-siblings vibes. Loved how chaotic they were. Even the Dojeok squad was very chaotic itself and fun to watch.

Cinematography was very captivating. The pace and the editing were all very smooth. Fighting sequences (be it guns, fists, swords, arrow, axe) were thrilling and well-choreographed in my opinion. One of the scenes with Eon Nyeonyi, played by Lee Ho Jung, reminded me of Kill Bill with the whole silhouette and blood splatter. She really impressed me with her acting in both action and non-action scenes. She had many scenes (including fighting scenes) with Kim Nam Gil alone and she wasn't overshadowed at all. Her appearance in this series is definitely worth a watch.

Not sure if many were expecting a lot of romance, but I know I wasn't. Lol. So I wasn't disappointed in that aspect at all. It had just enough to add a little bit more sentimental aspect, but I like that it was more like a side plot because the focus was still on fighting for their country and protecting their people. With action taking up most of the plot, I was not disappointed at all.

The ending definitely left an opening for season 2 and I REALLY hope we get it!!! Seo Hyun's character, Hee Shin, felt a bit overshadowed by the others. Maybe because she didn't have many scenes, or her character just somehow didn't leave a strong impact. Not to say that what Hee Shin did wasn't important, in fact, it was. But we didn't get to see her do much? IDK. I can't really put my finger on it. But with season 1's ending, things have certainly gotten more interesting. And we'll probably get to see more of Hee Shin in action. Her chemistry with Kim Nam Gil was subtle but quite nice. Curious to see what will happen to them.

Song of the Bandits was overall an enjoyable series and I will definitely rewatch it sometime for the action and Kim Nam Gil. Though the only thing I didn't like much was the choice of OST, because it felt too Western and modern. Not just due to the English lyrics, but the melody was a bit too....bright? Perhaps it was to match the Western genre or they wanted to appeal to international audiences. But IMO, someone really made a bad call on that coz both songs just didn't fit at all. They were alright when played during the opening and ending credits, but when it was used during the episode, it just felt odd and out of place. Maybe if they used Korean lyrics instead of English, it would have captured the emotions of the characters and the tone of the series better. Other than the OST, though, I've got no other complaints and I really hope we will get season 2!!!!

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A good fast paced drama with a lazy ending.

So this drama mainly focuses on action, which is also where it shines. It also does a decent job establishing and developing characters and also blending the characters together. I do think the cast was a little to big for such a short drama. Overall it was an interesting drama with an interesting story that kept me engaged all the way up until the end which is where it disappointed. I can't say much without going into spoilers but the ending was just very inconclusive and leaves with a million questions. The ending doesn't feel like good or well crafted writing at all, it more so just felt lazy.

The ost is overall good but there were some scenes where the music felt very unfitting.

The acting was pretty good from all characters.

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It’s a strange one!

Thru out the 9 episodes I had an out of body experience - all of my senses were challenged - familiar actors, familiar names, and completely out of line clothes, buildings and actions!
The cast - Kim Nam Gil played Kim Nam Gil, and I loved it, he spent half of the film showing his action skills (no complains from me!) and the other half looking like he’s just waken up.
Lee Ho Jung is spectacular and absolutely killed it! This lady is ridiculously talented - she jumps effortlessly thru genres and make waves wherever she goes. Very brave in industry where most are locked to particular roles. She demand the attention in all her frames!
You Jae Ming is delight to watch, as usual. A great actor - another frame stealer! Lee Hyun Wook is so good at playing the bad guys, you can trust him to deliver a character you will hate. The only person I didn’t like is Seo Hyun- by comparison to the heavy weight she was colourless for me. And how can you forget the firework that Cha Chung Hwa is!

Story - not much new aspects in the story really, we’ve seen it before.

Fantastic cinematography - pleasure to watch!

So to not so good - I solution their bravery with the Western aspect, however, I hated it!
What a strange experience!

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Great action but a few things felt off

It's a short and action-packed show with western vibes. Lots of guns, villages and sand.

What I liked:
• the action-scenes were really good and gripping
• the atmosphere and western-theme was totally new for me in Kdramas. That was quite exciting
• the characters were interesting, but they could have used more time to introduce them, their backstory, development and relationships. But since it's only nine episodes, it did not bother me too much. It's a short-lived series anyway
•the topic of chinese land, japanese money and joseon people

What I disliked:
• I didn't care for the romance
• Sometimes the music felt a bit off and unsuiting in some scenes
• SPOILER: If I remember correctly, the ML gets called by his name a few times and the FL still didn't notice it. She was in a woodenbox while Lee gwang il and Lee Yoon were talking. It was obvious they knew each other and she still doesn't notice it. Maybe it was the circumstances and pressure that her brain went blank. Not that I care, but it was noticeable
• SPOILER: It felt a bit cheesy that the other group suddenly had a perfect match for each bandit to fight against. Sniper against Sniper, strong guy against strong guy, axe guy against axe guy... It felt weird. Where did they come from?
• SPOILER: I kind of wished for Lee gwang il finding out that Hee Shin is working for the independence army ... just to get the satifsfaction from the look on his face

CONCLUSION: Great action, interesting atmosphere and short-lived. A good drama. But that's it.
6.5/7 rating

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " Song of the Bandits " is an edgy historical drama that resembles the western films.

The story is about a freed slave who creates a team of misfits in order to strike back at those who want to take over.

The drama has an edgy cinematography, with beautiful shots and lighting, as well as a soundtrack that feels just right for the mood of the drama. The costumes and CGI were also spot on.

On the other hand, the story isn't well handled, with some twists being repeated and some dramatic scenes not being convincing. Also, some storylines needed more time to be fully developed, when others were tragic enough to keep things interesting and the characters to be easily sympathized with.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, five out of ten.

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When I read the synopsis about this drama it didn't intrigue me at all. I don't care for period pieces or westerns but reviewers said this was action packed and I love Korean action dramas so I bit the bullet and decided to watch.

A few weeks later I finally made it to the last episode. When I say a few weeks later I mean that's how long it took me to watch this slow drawn out drama. I should've dropped this after episode 5. I can't understand the high marks people gave this!

Every episode was the same: fight for Korean freedom by getting from under the Japanese rule.

If this didn't have any fighting scenes I don't think this drama would've survived. The main ML have some serious martial art skills as well as his frenemy. That girl had some mad fighting skills too.

For the life of me I would love to learn the secret to Korean vitality because everybody in the main cast who got shot, stabbed, hit with arrows, beat to a bloody pulp managed to survive by the time that particular episode was done.

I was amazed at how the Korean early 1900's resembled that of the US. They had cars, trains, electricity...it was cool but each episode was drawn out, plus they had to throw in that sappy romance I've come to despise. It ruins the whole vibe for me.

This series could've ended at episode 8 but they had to drag that out too by having another episode. It was meaningless. It had no closure which makes me wonder if more episodes will follow. If it does I won't be watching it.

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Lee Ho Jung great in Korean Western

I watched it quickly and I really liked it. Action, fight scenes, photos, music too. Koreans and Poles, we have a similar history, with many years of periods in which our neighbors tried to erase us from the map of the earth. Maybe that's why I watched with compassion and understanding.
The first main role for me is Lee Ho Jung, she is simply brilliant!!! It's worth watching the entire drama to see the scenes with Lee Ho Jung - there are of course a lot of them.
I was amazed by her talent, ability to use facial expression, perfect use of voice with nuances of tone, and acting at the highest level. And of course, well-played action scenes. The conversations between the paid assassin and her target are fascinating, thanks to the acting of both of them, but they also had a very well-written script. The plot of the evolution of the relationship between the paid killer and the target from episode to episode is cleverly presented.
Blood flows in streams and gushes, but mainly the invaders die :), which is comforting :).

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Sequel to Mr Sunshine???

Is it the next Mr Sunshine?? Really feels like a sequel without being one. Set around the same time period where Mr. Sunshine ends. Here, it is the rebels who are trying to reclaim their country from the Japanese occupation. This series is based in the 1910s and beyond as they struggle to maintain their independence.

Shown is a dark story that is very tragic. The people suffer in great pain, when their own country is ruled by another empire. The Japanese imperialists run as they please in their order. Very clear with their political pressures. The land has become theirs, they rule on their terms. At the same time, there is a third party that is ruining it for everyone too, the gangs in the wilderness and in the villages. These gangs act a bit like bounty hunters, they don't bother the Japanese fully. When they are paid for their missions, they are no threat to the great power.

The male lead is a patriot with his own motives. He starts out as an ex-soldier with no particular background at all. His competence interests people who can imagine sacrificing themselves for the same goal. The special forces he commands have quite distinctive character traits. These have unique skills that are very bullet proof with their gear. Not much romance in focus at all, just team spirit and patriotism through and through. However, he encounters a counterpart with the same goal who does not want to cooperate with him. She follows her interests primarily as a real opportunist.

Musically, there are good soundtracks, however, the rock music changes the mood in certain moments and makes it feel more comical, strangely enough. There is a lot of action and fighting with some carnage delivered every now and then. It is very fast paced and fast paced. Lots of intense battles going on in full swing. Nice effects and well-made duels occasionally. Would describe this one as Mr. Sunshine on steroids, with a large overdose of violence. Many wild western environments and nice landscape pictures. The mix of the music and the environments makes me think of Quentin Taratino's movies at times but also gets the vibes of Money heist: Korea. It is well thought out and heavy. Very fun to see that they are trying to make a series in the western part. I, who don't watch very many historical series, have finally found one I like. Very interesting!!!!

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My initial thoughts on SOTB

May contain Spoilers:

Binge-watched it a few days back. I am actually liking this new move by Netflix to drop all episodes at one-go.

Captivating drama with excellent cinematography and fantastic action sequences and great acting from everyone. TBH it was more movie-like and less of a drama. Backed by great background score and sharp editing for Season 1. The story reminded true to its Wild Wild West theme and the Japanese occupation of Korea. Very raw and realistic. So kindly don't expect any candy-floss romance or fantasy. They showed things as they are. But in between all that there were some good character building and humour and most importantly the need to carry on the fight to re-claim the land from the Japanese.

There were only three important woman characters and all three of them had a specific purpose within the story. Also I am very impressed that all of them had their parts within the action sequences.

Special mention of the character Eon Nyeon (and Lee Ho-jung - the actress who played it). It was a brilliant idea to develop that character as the perfect foil to the ML and the actress did a splendid job. TBH the amount of action this girl did in this drama is either on par or more than what Woo do-hwan did in Bloodhounds or Kim Nam Gil himself did in this drama. (these are the only 2023 dramas that I have watched so far to compare with).

The ending is being criticised in online forums but I get the feeling that there is definitely a season 2. So for those of you planning to watch - be prepared for the open-ending and even if there is no season 2 I am still ok with the ending as it is realistic given the historical context. But hopefully there is a season 2 to satisfy all of us.

And finally the review is incomplete without mentioning Kim Nam Gil. He totally rocked in this drama and was cool/suave with all those guns/rifles handling and the action sequences. I am personally very happy with his drama choices. Also kudos to him for giving woman characters in his dramas equal space/more prominence in the sense that they all come across as strong characters and hold themselves up very well on their own. I have noticed this from his 2017 drama - Live Up to Your Name up until this 2023 drama.

Only thing to add is - Romance and KNG is not meant to be I guess. After this drama - I am giving up even the remotest idea that he will in future do a reasonable romance role. (I personally think even in LUTYN they added in that possible happy ending as an after-thought).

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