Mouse (2021) ~ Korean Movie and TV Series

“Mouse”, the Korean movie and the K-drama series were both released in 2021. The series is 23 episodes, and both the film and the series are categorized as Action, Thriller, Suspense, Police drama, and Psychological drama.

(NOTE: The series has a two-episode spin-off mini-series called “Mouse: The Predator”. It condensed the highlights from the series and the two episodes were short enough to be put together and shown as a movie.)

♦ Psychopath, the Birth of the Devil?

In “Mouse”, a respected scientist believes that through his research he has identified the “psychopath gene” and it can be detected in the unborn. Therefore, a law should be passed that mandates gene testing of fetuses. If the psychopath gene is detected then the government should abort the fetus.

The pregnant woman’s consent is not needed because the abortion must be done for public safety reasons. For public safety? Right! Because we all know how smart scientists are and how everything they say can be SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN ABSOLUTELY!

Needless to say, many politicians and human rights activists object to such an extreme law. When the researcher was asked if he was 100% sure of his scientific findings, he answered that he was only 99% certain. When asked about the other 1%, he said that the “genius gene” is very similar to the “psychopath gene” and it’s not so easy to tell them apart.

Uh-huh. The politician interpreted his response this way: “So you’re saying that the government might mistakenly abort an Einstein or a Mozart because they thought they had identified the psychopath gene. But it was actually a genius gene.”

Hhhmm? Sounds like some folks are just trying to play God.

♦ What About the Headhunter?

While the debate rages about whether fetuses with a psychopath gene should be aborted, a psychopath who has already been born is going around killing people and taking their heads. Police are not even close to catching him. The public is in uproar because they fear for their safety.

Law enforcement believes he takes the heads because it will make it difficult to identify the victims. Well! Most police aren’t scientists or psychopaths. So what would they know?

It turns out that the headhunter is a scientist and he is trying to see if the human brain can be transplanted, from one human being to another. He’s going to keep on killing, chopping off heads, and experimenting … until he gets it right!! But the head hunter made a mistake. He brought home the heads of his victims one cold and snowy night. His pregnant wife thought he was outside building a snowman and she took a picture. What he was actually doing was keeping the heads on ice until he could get them to his laboratory.

The police came to his home and arrested him because a child identified him as the man who killed his parents. Somehow the snowman got knocked over and the severed heads which were in a plastic bag rolled into the ground. The man said that someone else built the snowman and it happened to be in front of his house. However, his wife had proof that he built the snowman because she had taken a picture. The serial killer known as The Headhunter was sent to prison.

The killer’s wife, who was pregnant gave birth to a son, who grew up to be a doctor. Like father, like son? Unfortunately, her son had the “psychopath gene” just like dear old dad and grew up and became a serial killer too. Only he wasn’t experimenting. He just enjoyed the thrill of the kill.

One serial killer is the son of the notorious headhunter. He grew up and became a doctor who performed surgeries to save lives. Did he only study medicine to learn the most efficient way to slice and dice his victims?

But the son of the headhunter wasn’t the only psychopathic serial killer. The other serial killer is a young police officer known by others for his strong sense of justice. Nobody would ever believe he’s a serial killer. Yet he has a predatory nature that he grapples with. On the outside he appears to be righteous; but on the inside, he has a desire to commit brutal murders. Being a police officer gives him an easy way to clean up his own crime scene and get rid of evidence.

One night the serial killers accidentally crossed paths with each other. One serial killer witnessed the other serial killer committing a murder. They both saw each other. Now they both want to kill each other!

• Suppose both serial killers were badly injured and one could not be saved. However, the other one might live IF there was a brain transplant.
• Suppose the brain of one serial killer is put into the head of the other serial killer.
• Suppose when the serial killer regains consciousness he acts and feels like a normal person, but he doesn’t know why he gets these urges to kill and has memories of murders. Were they murders committed by someone else, or did he commit these murders?

If he was born with a psychopath gene, just because he had brain surgery, did the gene disappear? Can he live like a normal person? Or will he eventually start killing again?

Main Characters:

• Rookie Police Officer Jung Ba-reum (played by Lee Seung-gi, “Kangchi the Beginning”)
• Officer Goo Moo Chi (played by Lee Hee-joon, “Badland Hunters”, “Blood Free”)
• Oh Bong-Yi (played by Park Ju-hyun, “Seoul Vibe”, “The Forbidden Marriage”, “Zombie Detective”)
• Sung Yo-Han (played by Kwon Hwa-Woon)

Where to Watch: Both movie and series are streaming on Viki.com

Viewership and Rating:

~ Mouse: The Movie (aka Mouse: The Predator)

• IMDb: 8.6 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.7 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated the movie 8.4 out of 10 stars

~ Mouse: The Series

• IMDb: 8.7 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.8 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated the movie 9.6 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 9 out of 10 stars for both the movie and the series.

So here are the questions the movie and the series address:

• Did both of these guys become serial killers simply because they have a chromosome mutation, i.e. the psychopath gene? Like … they didn’t have free will ~ like everybody else ~ to choose between right and wrong? If you are a psychopath even before you’re born, then … someone should make the decision that you shouldn’t be born. Right?

The fact that the series was so good, that they condensed it and made a two-episode miniseries or movie says a lot! I watched the movie before watching the series. When watching the series, you must examine it closely to avoid missing the details. “Mouse” is not for the faint of heart.

The only thing I walked away with after watching “Mouse” was my conviction that a person is not born to be a psychopath. I have reviewed what scientists have to say on this matter. But scientists have been wrong about a lot of things. Although it seems based on their research (see below) the scientists and I are on the same page. There is no psychopath gene or genius gene. In my humble and nonscientific opinion, humans are way more complex and complicated than just a bunch of genes lumped together.

This is what scientists say about psychopathy:

• “There is no single gene that causes psychopathy, but research suggests that psychopathy is partially genetic. Instead, researchers believe that several genes may contribute to psychopathic behavior by changing brain structures and circuits. A person may carry these genes but not exhibit the traits themselves, and they could pass them on to their children.”

REFERENCES:

Psychopathy Is. “What Causes Psychopathy | Psychopathy Is,” April 11, 2024. https://psychopathyis.org/what-causes-psychopathy/.‌

Watson, Bill. “Is Psychopathy Genetic?” Xcode Life, February 10, 2023. https://www.xcode.life/genes-and-personality/is-psychopathy-genetic/.‌

Moon, Debbie. “Psychopaths: Born Not Made?” Genetic Lifehacks, September 3, 2021. https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/psychopath-genes-born-not-made/.‌

This is what scientists say about geniuses:

• “No, there is no single “genius gene” that determines intelligence. Instead, intelligence is a polygenic trait, meaning that many genes contribute to it, each making a small contribution. Different combinations of alleles can result in a wide range of variation in the population.”

REFERENCES:

Medlineplus.gov. “Is Intelligence Determined by Genetics?: MedlinePlus Genetics,” 2015. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/traits/intelligence/.‌

Sawyer, Abigail. “Genius in Your Genes.” BioTechniques, August 18, 2017. https://www.biotechniques.com/news/genius-in-your-genes/.‌

Weiner, Eric. “Five Myths about Genius.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, October 21, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-genius/2016/10/21/ffecc73c-96e0-11e6-9b7c-57290af48a49_story.html.

‌LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Mouse – A Mystery Drama That Will Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat | hallyureviews
• Review: ‘Mouse’ is a Maddening K-Drama that You Can’t Stop Watching | Best of Korea
• K-drama review: Mouse – befuddling serial killer drama gets the operatic ending it doesn’t deserve | South China Morning Post

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

OnlyKDrama. “Mouse (2021) Official Trailer | K-Drama Trailer | 마우스 | Lee Seung Gi, Lee Hee Joon.” YouTube Video. YouTube, February 9, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX-pEtkBlEk.