Längst nicht so plump wie der deutsche Titel! Die chinesische Kung-Fu-Kämpferin Mei sucht in Rom nach ihrer verschwundenen Schwester und gerät zwischen die Fronten von rivalisierenden, als Restaurantbesitzer getarnten chinesischen und italienischen Mafiosi.

"Unquestionably one of the best movies of 2025, Gabriele Mainetti's FORBIDDEN CITY is a massively entertaining mix of martial arts, crime and, yes, romance! It also establishes Mainetti (2016's "They Call Me Jegg Robot" and 2023's "Freaks Out") as one of the best commercial filmmakers in movies today, with a knockout of a movie that slaps a huge smile on your face in a way no movie has since RRR (yes, we said that). And on top of all the amazing fight scenes and action, there's also a wonderful love story at the heart of FORBIDDEN CITY, one not just between two people who need each other but also of Rome, its diverse citizens, and Piazza Vittorio itself, all beautifully captured by cinematographer Paolo Carnera. Borello and Liu are perfectly paired, but it's Lui (in only her second film) who truly impresses, not just as a martial artist (which she very much does) but with a breakout performance that's by turns strong, funny, and heartbreaking. Movies like FORBIDDEN CITY don't come around that often, so don't miss the opportunity to see it on the big screen because it's going to become a new favourite. It's absolutely terrific." Matthew Kiernan, Fantasia Film Festival 2025

"Von einem italienischen Regisseur ohne vorherige Martial-Arts-Erfahrung hätte man derart erstklassige Kung-Fu-Action wohl eher nicht erwartet. Aber die größte Leistung von Gabriele Mainetti liegt darin, dass ein Großteil des Story-Füllmaterials, das in anderen Filmen des Genres nur dazu da ist, um die Kampfszenen irgendwie zusammenzuhalten, in KUNG FU IN ROME ebenfalls richtig gelungen ist. Muss das wirklich 138 Minuten lang sein? Vermutlich nicht – aber Langeweile kommt trotzdem keine auf, dafür knallen die Kämpfe zu sehr rein und drückt man dem romantischen Duo zu fest die Daumen." Christoph Petersen, Filmstarts

"Fearless young Mei leaves China for Rome in search of her older sister, who has gone missing. Yun had gone to work in the Eternal City some time earlier, and it is possible that she has become entangled in the Italian capital’s criminal underworld concentrated in the multiethnic neighborhood around Piazza Vittorio. There, the foul-mouthed head cook at a fading restaurant has been forced to take over from his father, who has suddenly disappeared. A colorful and entertaining mix of genres featuring elements of film noir, thriller, romance, kung fu, and comedy, this exceptionally capable and consummately filmed mosaic is also an unassumingly human portrait of the world of immigrants." Karel Och, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2025