This is getting some good buzz…
First Forum Review
This is something special - an Italian-made mash up of Kung Fu and romance, set in the magnificent city of Rome. Xiao Mei (Liu Yaxi) is searching for her sister who was trafficked by Chinese gangsters who run a restaurant called The Forbidden City. She follows a lead to a restaurant looking for Alfredo and crosses path with his abandoned son. From there, the plot thickens for a wild ride of passion, food, gangsters and ultravi.
What makes this film extra special is the new Kung Fu diva in the lead role - Liu Yaxi. She was the villainess in Second Life and the stunt double in Disney’s disappointing live-action Covid casualty Mulan. She’s a revelation, the next Kung Fu queen, plus she’s even got decent acting chops. The fights are brutal. It opens with a staircase fight. A kitchen fight (so many great weapons in a kitchen - pots, pans, hot oil, stove tops, knives, graters). Lone gal against a gang of thugs in a restaurant. There’s a random warehouse showdown. Sure, those are all cliche fights but Liu delivers. She can move convincingly and sell those punches. Great stuff. I was transfixed with the ultravi and I’m crushing on Liu.
