While it has produced an abundance of action movies throughout the years, Italy isn’t the country that instantly springs to mind when you think of martial arts movies. Of course there have been some. It wouldn’t be Italian cinema if they didn’t jump on the bandwagon. However, I wouldn’t exactly say the likes of Mr Hercules Against Karate (1973) or Karate Warrior (1987) are prime examples of the genre.
The most notable Italian set martial arts movie is obviously Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon (1972). Although a Hong Kong production, Lee did make sure to use the Italian locations to the best of his advantage, most famously setting the grand finale in Rome’s Colosseum. Comparing that film with today’s standards, it is admittedly rough around the edges. This isn’t a criticism that could be leveled at Gabriele Mainetti’s The Forbidden City, with its lush visuals raising it above typical genre fare, at least aesthetically.
Similarly taking place in Rome, The Forbidden City focuses on Mei (Yaxi Liu), who has traveled to the city in search for her missing sister. Her search isn’t without incident, leading Mei into several violent encounters. Through one of these encounters she comes into contact with Marcello (Enrico Borello), who like Mei is also looking for a missing family member.
The two of them decide to team up, with them facing off against some of Rome’s most deadliest criminals in their search for the truth, with it never being clear who they can trust.
Marking his third directorial effort, Mainetti gets things off to a great start, with the opening fight scene featuring some spectacular fight choreography courtesy of stunt coordinator Trayan Milenov-Troy. Action fans may be familiar with Milenov-Troy’s name from doubling Jean Claude Van Damme numerous times or for his behind the scenes work on such movies as London has Fallen (2016), The Last Duel (2021) or more recently, the underrated William Tell (2024). He is assisted by Emiliano Novelli, Marco Pancrazi and Liang Yang who all have extensive stunt backgrounds.
Together they have combined their talents to create several unique fight scenes throughout the film. Clearly influenced by Hong Kong cinema, there are also strong echoes of the films of Tony Jaa and The Raid (2011). The only thing that it doesn’t have in common with those films is a director that shoots the action properly. No disrespect to Mainetti, but rather than learning from the Asian masters, he instead opts for tried and tested shakycam and quick cuttings so beloved of Hollywood. It isn’t as obtrusive as something like Taken 3 (2015), but it does still obscure the otherwise quality work of the performers as well as those working behind the scenes.
The trailers for The Forbidden City would have you expecting it to be a full blown martial arts actioner, and admittedly I was fooled myself judging primarily on the explosive opening scenes. However, once the film progresses past this it’s pace starts to lag, with numerous plot strands weighing the initial revenge plot down. While it is admirable that Mainetti hasn’t churned out just another typical actioner, the film ultimately gets bogged down by its uneven tone. One minute it’s a martial arts movie, then a gangster thriller before becoming a family drama with some romance thrown in for good measure, only to come back to being a martial arts movie once again.
Now, these disparate elements can, and have done before, come together to make for a satisfying hole, but here they seem in conflict with each other. That isn’t to say that Mainetti and his team don’t work hard to make the film work, and when it’s working The Forbidden City is an exciting genre piece. It is just that whenever there is a lull in the action, I never felt the other plot strands were compelling enough to justify the excessive run time.
At least everything looks fantastic, with parts of the movie almost being a travelogue. Director of Photography Paolo Carnera perfectly captures the beautiful Rome locations, with one of the most memorable scenes being a Vespa ride through the city between Mei and Marcello (Enrico Borello). As mentioned, the shooting of the action scenes could have been improved upon, but I’m not sure this is all down to him, with shakycam and quick edits seeming to be the favored approach amongst many current directors.
If nothing else, The Forbidden City works as a great showcase for lead actress Yaxi Liu. Whilst she appeared in front of the camera recently in martial arts actioner Second Life (2024), she is primarily known for her stunt work in films like Mulan (2020) and The Traveler (2024). The Forbidden City gives her the opportunity to not only show off her action skills but also show off her acting capability. She is far too talented to be working behind the scenes. Her acting may not be top tier, but considering this is her first lead role, I felt she did exceptionally well, convincing in both her action and dramatic scenes.
To be honest, I would have guessed Liu was the more established performer when comparing her to co-star Enrico Borello, who initially appears quite stiff. Luckily as the film progresses and we get to know more about his motivations, Borello starts to loosen up, even managing to share decent chemistry with his leading lady.
With a tighter edit, The Forbidden Kingdom could easily have been one of the best action films of the year rather than merely an entertaining one. There is still enough in the way of quality fight scenes to make this an enjoyable ride, but I doubt you will find yourself returning to it much once it’s over.
If anything comes from The Forbidden City, it is the hope that Yaxi Liu gets more acting work. We could be seeing the birth of another action star and with the right material I could see her go far.
The Forbidden City is currently available Digitally from the good people at Well Go USA. It will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD from April 21st.
Plot: 2.5/5
Acting: 3/5
Action: 3.5/5
Overall: 3/5
