Is The Forbidden City Worth Watching? Our Rome Kung Fu Review

This The Forbidden City review starts with a simple promise: Gabriele Mainetti has made an Italian action romance that mixes kung fu with Roman crime drama. It is loud, physical and stubbornly personal, even when the genre mix wobbles. At 138 minutes, it asks for patience, but it rewards you with real style.

The Forbidden City Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Forbidden City plot follows Mei, a young woman who travels to Rome to find her missing sister. Her search leads her to Marcello, the son of a restaurant owner buried in debt. He is not a fighter, but he knows the streets, and he agrees to help.

Soon the two are pulled into a fight with the most dangerous figures in the Roman underworld. The tagline, "Vengeance is her destiny," gives a fair sense of Mei's drive. The setup is straightforward, and that clarity lets the film spend its energy on action and atmosphere.

What Works in The Forbidden City

The best part is the fight choreography. Mainetti stages brawls with weight and clarity, so you can follow each hit instead of getting lost in rapid cuts. Kitchens, alleys and cramped rooms become arenas, and that gives the action movie reviews fans among us plenty to enjoy.

The clash of cultures adds flavour too. Rome is not just a backdrop here; the film plays with the gap between a Chinese newcomer and a city of family restaurants and local crime bosses. The result feels fresher than a standard revenge story.

The romance is a quiet engine. Instead of stopping the action for love scenes, the film lets feeling grow between fights. If you like romance movie reviews with some bruises, this blend is a draw.

The Forbidden City Cast and Performances

The The Forbidden City cast is led by Liu Yaxi as Mei. She carries the film with physical command and a guarded, watchful presence, and she sells both the fighting and the grief underneath it.

Enrico Borello plays Marcello with an easy, rumpled charm that contrasts well with Mei's intensity. Their chemistry is gradual and believable.

Supporting players

• Marco Giallini plays Annibale

• Sabrina Ferilli plays Lorena

• Chunyu Shanshan plays Wang

• Luca Zingaretti plays Alfredo

The veteran Italian names give the underworld some texture and menace, and they lift scenes that might otherwise feel routine.

Where The Forbidden City Stumbles

The running time is the main issue. At 138 minutes, the pacing sags in the middle, and some dramatic stretches repeat ideas we already understand. A tighter cut would help the momentum.

The tone also shifts between gritty crime, broad comedy and sincere romance. Sometimes these gears mesh; at other times they grind. Viewers wanting a lean, nonstop action film may feel the film wanders.

The criminal underworld, though well cast, leans on familiar types. If you have seen a few Italian crime stories, you will recognise the shape of the threat. For a similar pulpy mood with a different flavour, try our Den of Thieves: Pantera review.

Is The Forbidden City Worth Watching?

Yes, mostly. The Forbidden City is worth watching if you want martial arts action with a distinctive European setting and a lead who can truly fight. Audience scores sit around 6.9 out of 10 on TMDB, which matches my feeling: a confident, flawed and memorable film.

The The Forbidden City release date was March 8, 2025, and it is an Italian-language film with an unrated status, so check content details before showing it to younger viewers. Mainetti's direction shows ambition and a clear love of genre, even when the script sprawls. You can read more about the film on IMDb.

Who Will Enjoy The Forbidden City

• Martial arts fans who want grounded, well-staged fights in an unusual setting

• Viewers who like action stories with a slow-burning romance

• Fans of Gabriele Mainetti's genre-bending Italian cinema