A Chinese martial arts film, by way of an Italian rom-com, is the best way to describe Forbidden City, which celebrated its US premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025. An absolute instant classic when it comes to action, and a great attempt at discussing immigration in Italy, the film has shot up to be one of my favorites of the festival.
Directed by Gabriele Mainetti, and written by Mainetti, Stefano Bises, and Davide Serino, Forbidden City hits every high note of an action film you can hope for, and that’s all thanks to Yaxi Liu. Like many of the top women in action films right now, Liu began her career as a stunt woman, and that makes every fight sequence that she is in absolutely no-holds-barred. One part Italian rom-com and one part Chinese martial arts film, Forbidden City is a genre smashing title that pays off big.
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The title of the film is also the name of a popular, authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of Rome, that just so happens to be hiding an underground sex-trafficking ring. Mei (Yaxi Liu), a Chinese immigrant, has tracked her missing sister to the restaurant and brothel, but despite ripping her way through goons, her sister Yun is nowhere to be found.
Forbidden City is a cross-cultural film that embraces the very best of Chinese and Italian genre cinema.
Forbidden City’s cold open establishes the tone of the film, including its fast-paced action and the violence that will comprise the film’s action component. Incredible martial arts sequences highlight the opening of the film, and director Gabriele Mainetti has immediately established his lead actress, Yaxi Liu, as a physical talent on par with others in the action genre.
What continues throughout the film is a family drama, a romance, and a hard-as-nails action film as Mei attempts to find her sister and get revenge on the men who both enslaved her and brought her harm. The titular restaurant isn’t the only one involved in the story, either, once Mei tracks down the man who was set to take her sister away. Instead of finding the old man named Alfredo (Luca Zingaretti), she finds his son Marcello (Enrico Borello).
Mei is desperate to get her sister back, and Marcello is host to a world of resentment because his father has abandoned their family, running off with a Chinese sex worker. The audience and Mei know immediately that the woman in question is Yun. After beating Marcello (but just a bit) to get the answer about his father’s whereabouts, Mei ends up taking her issues directly to the Chinese restaurant and the gang running it, while Marcello reaches out to a family friend, who runs a racket of his own.
Yaxi Liu is an action cinema vision who offers brutality and beauty.
Pulled together by their family, Mei and Marcello are forced to understand each other (thanks to a phone translation app) to figure out what comes next as tensions rise between Mr. Wang and Annibale. The antagonists in Forbidden City strike a balance between being endearing and being terrible.
For Mr. Wang (Shanshan Chunyu), he’s hated by his son for his life of crime, and every time he just seems like a proud dad, he showcases his violence. For Annibale (Marco Giallini), every time he seems like a good man, he spouts off anti-immigrant racism that makes your stomach churn, and for a bit, makes it hard to like Marcello.
Still, as Mei and Marcello grow closer and navigate their situation, romance starts to blossom. However, even with its light-hearted rom-com notes as the couple explores the city, fight sequences with quick choreography remain the film’s focal point. But the film does one better than ever, and Mei’s share edges.
Forbidden City balances grit and tenderness equally as the romance develops.
Even when in love, Mei is still tough and dedicated to getting her revenge. In fact, Mei’s demeanor is in line with many of the male leads in action cinema, and it works. On the other side, Marcello, despite his anger, remains soft. Marcello is a romantic; he’s a chef, not a fighter, and the film never forces him to be even when he gets the chance. It’s a balance that works exceptionally well as the film comes to its close.
Yaxi Liu gets a hallway fight, multiple one-versus-many set-ups, and a red light-soaked brawl that sets her among the best to do it. She uses her entire environment to win against men bigger than her and just doesn’t know when to quit, and it makes her entirely endearing. She is fighting for her family, and that sticks out.
Forbidden City is both swift and brutal in its fight choreography, wondrous in its use of Rome, and ultimately tender and loving through the relationships it creates. Yaxi Liu is an absolute star, and we need more of her in action cinema.
Forbidden City screened as part of Fantastic Fest 2025 in Austin, TX.
