Mousetrap – Review | Netflix Series

MOUSETRAP on Netflix is a thriller series from South Korea (org. title: Deuljwi) about a man who has his identity stolen. This is truly the stuff of nightmares, and in this case, it is made worse by the man himself. The season has 10 hour-long episodes, so there’s plenty of storyline to go around. Read our Mousetrap series review here!

MOUSETRAP is a Netflix thriller series with 10 episodes, which sounds like a lot, but this is also from South Korea (org. title: Deuljwi). Usually, Korean productions are fairly long. This goes for both feature films, which tend to be over two hours long, and series, where the episodes are often around one hour each.

What also tends to be a rule for most Korean plots is that they are character-driven. I love this about them as we get characters to root for or loathe. At times, this may even switch as the plot evolves, because characters are (again, this is almost a rule) somewhere in the gray. Never entirely good or bad, but somewhere in between. In other words, they are human. The key characters in Mousetrap are no exception.

Continue reading our Mousetrap series review below. Find all ten episodes on Netflix now.

A waking nightmare

Mousetrap is the story of a reclusive writer who hasn’t left his home in three years. He lives in a penthouse apartment and looks down at the people living in the outside world. Both literally and figuratively, as he looks down at people doing the same thing day in and day out. Of course, he also does the exact same thing every day.

This author has debilitating anxiety, which is why he stays in the safety of his own home. However, he has also given up all autonomy as he trusts one person with everything in his life. His friend from high school is the person who officially owns everything. Also, he doesn’t even use his real name in his job as a writer.

Basically, he doesn’t really exist, which is something that can be exploited.

One day, he wakes to find his identity stolen. He cannot gain access to his bank account, and his apartment has been sold from one moment to the next. Whenever he asks who authorized any of this, the answer is the same: You did!

Prove you’re not the imposter

Things are off to a very bad start for Moon-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol) on this day, but before it’s over, something even more terrifying will happen. Or really, two things. First, he meets a ruthless loan shark known for burying people alive if they don’t pay him back. His name is No-ja (Sul Kyung-gu), but he’s known as “The Rat”. And yes, of course, the person who stole Moon-jae’s identity borrowed money from The Rat. A lot of money.

And second, he meets the man who stole his identity. It turns out, he didn’t just steal his name; he also took his face!

There’s a reason you’re usually innocent until proven guilty; It’s just so much harder to prove that you didn’t do something. I mean, how do you prove who you are if nobody knows your face? Or even worse, if the imposter also has your face and all the ID and credentials that you have lost.

From the struggle to get into your phone or bank account, which many may recognize, to the actual identity theft, this is a perfect premise for a crime thriller. Of course, with ten hour-long episodes, we will get to the bottom of everything. And yes, this does involve a lot more than you ever imagined.

The Korean folklore behind Mousetrap

Like most other countries, South Korea has a lot of fascinating folklore. For Mousetrap, there is a particular juicy piece of lore used as the premise.

It comes from an old Korean folktale, which states that if a rat eats someone’s clipped fingernails, they turn into that person.

And yes, fingernail clippings are something we return to several times in this Netflix series. Including the opening scene, which deals with how our main character lost his parents.

Watch the Mousetrap series on Netflix now

The Netflix Mousetrap series is directed by Kim Hong-sun, who also directed Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area and The Guest series. Mousetrap is based on a webtoon titled “Field Mouse”, and the series adaptation was written by Lee Jae-gon. Previously, Lee Jae-gon wrote the Netflix series A Model Family.

Fans of South Korean productions should recognize many of the actors in key roles. In the lead, we have Ryu Jun-yeol, who starred in the 2025 Netflix movie Revelations and the Netflix series The 8 Show from 2024. As “The Rat”, you can look forward to seeing Sul Kyung-gu, who you should recognize from Memoir of a Murderer (2017) and Mantis (2025). Also, as a police detective, there’s Lee Kyoo-hyung from All of Us Are Dead.

As always, a series may feel complete, but if it’s a smash hit, we will undoubtedly be getting more seasons. Just look at what happened with Squid Game! I don’t want to compare Mousetrap to that iconic Netflix mega-success, but it is a fascinating story that should please genre fans.

Mousetrap is on Netflix worldwide from August 28, 2026.

Details

Director: Kim Hong-sun
Writer: Lee Jae-gon
Cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu, Lee Kyoo-hyung