The Forbidden City opens with a quiet lesson in rural China before transforming into a relentless martial arts thriller that travels far beyond its origin. A father secretly raises two daughters while teaching them kung fu, hoping the skills might protect them in a world where even their existence breaks the law.
Years later, one of those daughters, Mei, emerges as a relentless fighter searching for her missing sister. Her quest leads to a violent underworld hidden inside a massive Chinese restaurant and brothel known as the Forbidden City, where criminal networks, traffickers, and gangsters operate under the protection of a powerful crime boss. What begins as a rescue mission soon becomes something larger, pulling Mei into a brutal struggle that stretches from the shadows of organized crime to the crowded streets of Rome.
Yaxi Liu (Mulan) leads the film as Mei, and she carries the story with controlled intensity. Mei speaks little, yet every movement communicates purpose and discipline. Liu, who built her career as a stunt performer before stepping into leading roles, brings physical credibility that anchors the film’s elaborate fight choreography. Her character moves through each confrontation with a mixture of fury and precision, creating a protagonist who feels both vulnerable and unstoppable.
Opposing her is Shanshan Chunyu (Wolf Warrior 2) as Mr. Wang, the calculating crime boss whose influence controls the Forbidden City and the lives trapped within it. Chunyu plays Wang with quiet authority, presenting a villain who rarely raises his voice yet commands fear from everyone around him.
The film is directed by Gabriele Mainetti, a filmmaker known for blending genres with unusual confidence. With The Forbidden City he moves toward martial arts cinema while preserving his fascination with character-driven storytelling.
Mainetti builds a world where Chinese criminal networks intersect with Italian street life, creating what could be described as a modern “Spaghetti Eastern.” The film blends gangster drama, family tragedy, and romantic tension without losing sight of its central action narrative.
The action sequences are made in the best traditions of Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen, delivering some of the most exciting fighting choreography seen on screen in recent years. From the opening brawl inside the restaurant kitchen, the film immediately signals its commitment to classic Hong Kong–style action, where creativity, rhythm, and physical performance drive the spectacle rather than rapid editing. Mei turns ordinary kitchen tools into improvised weapons, transforming frying pans, cheese graters, and shattered discs into extensions of her fighting style.
The choreography stands out for its clarity and precision, allowing the audience to follow every strike, counter, and evasive move without losing the flow of the fight. Instead of hiding the performers behind frantic cuts, the camera frequently pulls back just enough to showcase the full movement of the actors, highlighting Liu’s speed, agility, and control. Each encounter feels carefully constructed, emphasizing technique and timing in a way that recalls the golden era of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.
The Forbidden City ultimately succeeds because it combines energetic martial arts action with a story about identity, loyalty, and belonging across cultures. Viewers who enjoy inventive fight choreography and unconventional international action cinema will find the film especially rewarding, while audiences drawn to character-driven stories about outsiders navigating unfamiliar worlds will appreciate the emotional undercurrent running beneath every confrontation.
The Forbidden City shows how a strong action film can thrive on a $20 million budget when the right talent and creative vision come together. It follows the path carved by modern action standouts like The Raid: Redemption (2011), John Wick (2014), Atomic Blonde (2017), and Nobody (2021), proving scale is not everything.
