The Forbidden City

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The Forbidden City

2025

2h 18m

Action

Drama

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Popcornmeter

88%

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16 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Two very different souls intersect on the streets of Rome when the Italian son of a restaurant owner and a young Chinese girl join forces to search for their missing family members, his father and her sister. As romance sparks between them, they uncover the tragic truths linking their families to the city's criminal underworld and seek vengeance against the ruthless gangsters behind it all before they can start a new life together.

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Peter Debruge

Variety

Nov 26

The film’s plot is too complicated by half... But it ultimately results in several memorable fight scenes and a reasonably well-earned love story.

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Sankeerthna Vedamtam

MovieJawn

16h

A film worth seeing again and again.

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Chris Mello

In Review Online

1d

[The Forbidden City] just peters out in a whimper of unrealized potential, its incredible beginning more than two hours in the rearview.

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Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

3d

A-

The Forbidden City is a much cooler, more off-kilter, interesting film than the straightforward kickass action flick we’ve seen a thousand times.

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Joonatan Itkonen

Region Free

5d

4/5

In the end, The Forbidden Kingdom accomplishes the most difficult magic trick of them all by crafting an action film that is as romantic as it is thrilling. That alone is worth celebrating.

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Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

Mar 13

3/5

Liu Yaxi takes charge in Gabriele Mainetti's genre-bending action thriller.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 2d

Action-packed movie in 2 hours and 18 minutes. A success on home media.

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Marc Z

@TKDLife Feb 7

The Forbidden City will surprise you in many ways. The title, the setting, and the lead actress would lead you to believe it is a Chinese made Kung Fu and action drama. It is not. It is Italian made, and Directed by Gabriele Mainetti. If you start watching the film it is cleverly disguised, and pays tribute to, many of the great Hong Kong action films of the past. However, its elevation of the adult themes, visuals, and gritty violence quickly tip off the viewer that this film was not made in China. The blending of Italian Western style with Hong Kong themes and action really works in this film. There is a solid story here, and solid character development. The martial arts action is well choreographed and very original. The fights are very good. Yaxi Liu is very good. She plays the role very well. Her ability to capture the screen in the martial arts fight scenes is beyond the ordinary. She also captures the dramatic scenes with great poise.

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Emanuela T

@RT20342560 Jul 14

Un film emozionante e avvincente. Sono rimasta incollata alle scene di combattimento e alla storia della ragazza che ahimè ricorda abusi e crimini verso l’umanità che non dovrebbero mai più accadere. Trovo la regia di Gabriele Mainetti profonda, al pari di registi americani e addirittura con qualcosa in più: Mainetti mette (ciò si respira profondamente guardando il film) la “semplicità” e grandiosità poetica italiana che appartiene al nostro DNA, alla ns memoria storica di raccontare. Roma e Mainetti sono un connubio meraviglioso che ci fa sognare e questo suo nuovo film ne è la prova che mi lega ad ogni personaggio e attore scelto nel nuovo film, da Giallini alla Ferilli. L’Attrice protagonista è epica! Godetevelo

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Gabriele Mainetti

Director

Yaxi Liu

Mei

Enrico Borello

Marcello

Sabrina Ferilli

Lorena

Marco Giallini

Annibale

Shanshan Chunyu

Signor Wang

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Synopsis

Two very different souls intersect on the streets of Rome when the Italian son of a restaurant owner and a young Chinese girl join forces to search for their missing family members, his father and her sister. As romance sparks between them, they uncover the tragic truths linking their families to the city's criminal underworld and seek vengeance against the ruthless gangsters behind it all before they can start a new life together.

Director: Gabriele Mainetti
Producer: Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Gangarossa, Sonia Rovai, Vindhya Sagar, Alessia Sinistro, Giulio Gallozzi
Screenwriter: Stefano Bises, Gabriele Mainetti, Davide Serino
Distributor: Well Go USA Entertainment
Production Co: Piper Film, Vision Distribution, Wildside, Ministero della Cultura (MiC), Netflix, Goon Films
Genre: Action, Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2026
Runtime: 2h 18m

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