Need a new mystery series? South Korean thriller Mousetrap has landed on Netflix, an unsettling, high-octane careen into the world of “identity laundering.”
Based on the 2017 Kakao Webtoon Field Mouse by Ludovico, the series sees incognito novelist Je Moon-jae (Reply 1988‘s Ryu Jun-yeol) finding his identity completely stolen. The understandably panicked writer must figure out why a mysterious figure known as “The Rat” has done such a thing, and how he can possibly get his life back.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this mind-bending thriller, directed by Kim Hong-sun (Project Wolf Hunting) and written by Lee Jae-gon (A Model Family), which twists and turns through the streets of Seoul and into the past.
What is Mousetrap about?
Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix
Identity theft is a real nightmare, and in Mousetrap, it’s on a whole new level.
Imagine waking up one day and someone has stolen your identity. You can’t open your phone or bank account with your own fingerprint. People are in your apartment, having bought it from someone posing as you. You have no medical records, no ID, nothing left to prove you’re you — because they’re all assigned to someone else.
That’s the plight of Moon-jae, a popular, enigmatic author who keeps his identity secret, which backfires on him in the most life-altering way possible. Following his parents’ tragic death, Moon-jae has become a recluse, with his literary success seeing him holed up in his high-tech, luxurious apartment for years. Every day, he follows the same routine, suppresses the same panic attack, experiences the same nightmare. Through his floor-to-ceiling glass walls, he watches people go through their daily motions on the street — the postal deliveries, the food vendors — with his only real connection to the outside world his friend, accountant Son Su-hyeon (The Tyrant‘s Moo Jin-sung).
In one day, it’s all taken from him, as his identity is hijacked. His high school friends don’t recognise him, and he’s got no ID in the world. And for reasons that will become clear, he finds himself on the run from loan shark Kim Yeong-geun aka No-ja (Peppermint Candy star Sul Kyung-gu) and searching for a cryptic figure known as The Rat who holds all the answers.
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Mousetrap weaves its mystery through multiple storylines
Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix
Where Moon-jae begins his quest for the truth is only the jumping off point, as the series pulls multiple threads into a compelling mystery about the seriousness of identity fraud.
Investigating a separate crime of suspected murder, we meet hardened detective Park Sun-yong (All of Us Are Dead‘s Lee Kyu-hyung), who receives an anonymous tip that leads him into the paths of Moon-jae, No-ja, and Su-hyeon. Bodies keep turning up without ID, no fingerprint matches, no way to identify them, and Sun-yong wants to crack this case wide open. Meanwhile, a trio of hit men watches it all play out. And behind it all, the Rat stays one step ahead, watching from the shadows and tracking their every move.
Ryu’s performance in Mousetrap sees him pushed to the limit, playing two sides of the same coin. As Moon-jae, his increasing anxiety and helplessness are rendered with raw authenticity. Brilliant special effects and surreal production design bolster Moon-jae’s sense of agoraphobia, his suppressed trauma realised in his tempestuous connection to public space. As the series moves back and forth through time to build out character perspectives, we get the sense that Moon-jae might actually have all the answers he needs. Meanwhile, Sul makes for a show highlight as the no-nonsense loan shark, who expertly finds this dark show’s moments of levity.
Mousetrap‘s one fault? Its lack of female characters, with women essentially limited to one-line scenes, some even remaining off-screen for them.
Mousetrap is a triumph of action and thumping techno
Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix
If you’ve come for the mystery, stay for the action — and the outlandish amount of techno fuelling the score. With Moon-jae, No-ja, and Sun-young on the road looking for their own truths, Mousetrap executes some serious action sequences, from high-speed chases across Seoul’s Han River to police hunts through suburbia brilliantly filmed overhead. With a slick, illustrated opening credit sequence, the series honours its Webtoon basis, while pushing the action further than the page.
Over 10 episodes, Mousetrap is technically a limited series — most Korean series can range up to 20+ episodes. However, the series doesn’t feel rushed, instead taking its time to build a chilling picture of identity theft through well-crafted mystery, high octane action, and solid twists.