GAbriele Mainetti, ten years after the masterpiece They called him Jeeg Robotsignature The prohibited city (at the cinema from March 13), his third film. This time the director ventures with the Kung Fua real novelty for Italian cinema. From China takes him to Rome through the MEI character, a mysterious Chinese girl, very skilled in martial arts, who lands in the capital to avenge his sister.
The sister disappeared, together with Alfredoowner of the homonymous restaurant, managed by his son Marcello, his wife Lorena and the shady friend Annibale. Mei and Marcello, in the Chinatown of the capital, if they will have to get it between fights Without exclusion of blows, personal revenge, racism, disturbing figures and a little romanticism.
The prohibited city: plot of the new film by Gabriele Mainetti
The prohibited city It is a Chinese place in the heart of Piazza Vittorio, the Chinatown of the capital, managed by Wang. Opposite resists By Alfredothe restaurant specialized in the autochthonous cuisine managed by Lorena (Sabrina Ferilli), by the cook Marcello, son of Lorena (Enrico Borrielo), and by the friend of the family Annibale (Marco Giallini), a shady type that exploits immigrants. The place has been submerged by the debts since Alfredo (Luca Zingaretti), father of Marcello and Lorena’s husband, left.
To upset the life of the neighborhood and the young cook, who cares about pulling to live between one dish and another, thinks about it Mei (Yaxi Liu), a mysterious Chinese girl who does not speak a word of Italian, but knows the Kung was like Bruce Lee. He is looking for his missing sister. Mei discovers that she disappeared together with Alfredo and is ready to take revenge with anyone who has turned on a hair.
Yaxi Liu in “The forbidden city”. (Courtesy Press Office)
Mei is a fury. He stops in front of anything and nobody, resembles the bride in Kill Bill. It is ready for anything to know the truth. First He puts on the Wang restaurant above, because he has brought his sister to Rome. His life inevitably crosses with that of Marcello, two completely opposite characters.
Mei then discovers that Alfredo and his sister were buried in a place in the Roman outskirts. Who is behind? The Chinese underworld? Who has betrayed who?
The forbidden city: review
If with They called him Jeeg Robot He made for the first time to land a superhero in the shade of the Colosseum, questa time Gabriele Mainetti brings to Rome the Kung Fu Movie. It takes courage and talent to convince producers to pay a lot of money to create such an atypical product in our country, to the Bruce Lee.
Well: the forbidden city is shot by fear. A lot of hat for the hand -to -hand combat scenes, real perfectly orchestrated dances that would make the chills come to Tarantino. Protagonist, always her, the Stunt Woman Yaxi Liu, choreographed by the Fight Coordinator of Deadpool & Wolverine Lian Yang. In fact, the film pays homage directly Kill Bill: “I grew up with Tarantino’s cinema – said Mainetti – they came and it is one of the reasons why I do this job”.
Sabrina Ferilli and Marco Giallini. (Courtesy Press Office)
Mainetti’s new film is, however, much more than one Kung Fu Movie. Mix action, Wuxapian (Happy cinema and sword of Chinese origin), e Vengeance. But also comedy (some jokes by Sabrina Ferilli And Marco Giallini are to be framed) And romance (there is a clear quote from Roman holidays).
This is not all: the Roman director also addresses issues related to underworld and racism, embodied by the character of Hannibal. After all, as Stefano Bises says, one of the screenwriters of the film: «The prohibited city It is a love story that talks about dented characterswith fragility and wounds, and tells us (between a fight and another ed) that Who is against integration is a dinosaur».
The cast of The Forbidden City: Yaxi Liu, Sabrina Ferilli, Marco Giallini
In the role of Mei, the female protagonist of The prohibited cityYaxi Liu puts himself, a stunt woman who worked in the live action disneyan Mulan And that for the first time he tries in the role of actress. Enrico Borello (Supersex) is Marcello, the cook and son of Alfredo (Luca Zingaretti), which passively undergoes the indications of the Family friend Annibale (Marco Giallini). He feels bogged down in a condition from which he seems impossible to extricate himself. It will be the meeting with Mei to give him a wake upas they say in Rome.
Sabrina Ferilli plays Lorena, the Cashier of the Restaurantalso anchored to Annibale and with the hope that one day the husband, with whom he has been married for 34 years, can return. Marco Giallini is the darkest character of the film: racist, exploiter of immigrants and always with a weakness for Lorena.
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