RKS 2026 EURO Film: “The Forbidden City”: A Sino Italian Spaghetti Kung Fu Roman Holiday?

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A brilliant approach in Gabriele Mainetti’s martial arts film “The Forbidden City” filmed in Rome. One lead character Marcello (Enrico Borello) speaks in Italian and co-lead Mei (Yaxi Liu) speaks Mandarin. Their limited inter-personal dialogue is through a Google translation app on Mei’s phone. The dual language technique opens possibilities of commercial success in both the Chinese and Italian markets and adds authenticity to the film.

At a budget of close to 17,000,000 Euros one can surmise the producers of the film had hopes for a dual market success and they should obtain that with a superbly shot film in Rome. Not quite as puerile as the Film “Roman Holiday” with Peck and Hepburn but wonderful, if not too brief, views of Rome.

Pardon my audacity but could this be a spaghetti martial arts film? The bad guys a la Clint Eastwood nouveau Western are extremely bad just the deserving Kung Fu fodder for Mei. The usual 50 bad guys to 1 righteous Kung Fu’er Mei. If there are memorable martial arts scenes to be recorded in history, it would be the kitchen fight at the film’s beginning  with hot noodles flying in air, faces pressed on hot grills and bad guys slipping through pools of hot oil on the floor.

I am uncertain what benefit you will derive from a detailed explanation of the plot other than comforting yourself with the simplicity of good versus evil.

But beyond the pugilistic expect coverage of certain issues and emotions such as:

  • Human trafficking
  • Abuse and exploitation of undocumented workers
  • Racism
  • Murder
  • Betrayal
  • Romance
  • Suicide
  • Poetic justice
  • Cruelty of China’s 1979-2015 One Child Policy
  • Revenge
  • Sino-Italian Fusion cuisine!

You can teeter back and forth on the too much plot-too little martial arts see-saw but that is a fine balancing act.

You may watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E02CbJ9dCQY&t=3s

Runtime is 139 minutes with English subtitles.

Digital release 17March2026 and DVD/Blu-Ray & 4K 21April2026.

RKS 2026 EURO Film Rating: 86/100.

Published by Robert K Stephen (CSW)

Robert K Stephen writes about food ,drink, travel, film, and lifestyle issues. He also has published serialized novels "Life at Megacorp", "Virus # 26, "Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog" and "The Penniless Pensioner" Robert was the first associate member of the Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada. He also holds a Mindfulness Certification from the University of Leiden and the University of Toronto. Be it Spanish cured meat, dried fruit, BBQ, or recycled bamboo place mats, Robert endeavours to escape the mundane, which is why he has established this publication. His motto is, "Have Story, Will Write."

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