Netflix’s new crime thriller In the Hand of Dante, featuring an all-star cast including Gal Gadot, Oscar Isaac, and Gerard Butler, has been met with widespread critical scorn. The film, which premiered on the streaming platform to considerable anticipation, has quickly been labeled one of the worst releases of the year. Reviews have been overwhelmingly negative, with many critics questioning how such a talented ensemble ended up in what they describe as a convoluted and tedious production.
The plot centers on Nick, a modern-day scholar played by Oscar Isaac, who becomes obsessed with the works of Dante Alighieri, the medieval Italian poet best known for the epic poem The Divine Comedy. In a dual narrative structure, the film cuts between 2001 and the 14th century. In the present-day timeline, Nick is approached by the Italian mob and offered the chance to study the lost original manuscript of The Divine Comedy. Meanwhile, the historical timeline follows Dante himself, also portrayed by Oscar Isaac, during the period when he began composing his masterpiece. This ambitious interweaving of time periods proves to be a significant stumbling block for the film, as many reviewers find the transitions jarring and the pacing sluggish.
Beyond Gadot, Isaac, and Butler, the cast includes Hollywood heavyweights such as Al Pacino, Jason Momoa, and John Malkovich. The film is based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Nick Tosches, which itself blends historical fiction with a modern-day crime story. Tosches, known for his unconventional and often darkly comic style, wrote a book that many considered unfilmable. Director and screenwriter Julian Schnabel took on the challenge, but critics argue that the translation from page to screen has been largely unsuccessful.
The film premiered at several film festivals earlier in the year to middling early reviews, scoring a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, since its wide release on Netflix, the critical consensus has become far more negative. Publications such as Little White Lies have called the film “not even entertaining enough to count as a compelling disaster.” Slate ran a piece titled “Oscar Isaac, Al Pacino, and Martin Scorsese (as an executive producer) – why did these people all sign on to such a terrible movie?” The comparison to Francis Ford Coppola’s divisive Megalopolis has been a recurring theme. RogerEbert.com noted that the film suffers from “the sense that only the filmmaker fully understands what in Dante’s fiery Hell all of this is supposed to mean.” Metro echoed that sentiment, describing In the Hand of Dante as “a sprawling, overly-ambitious mess that’s hard to follow at times,” but added that fans of Megalopolis might find something to enjoy in its perplexing excess.
Gal Gadot, best known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, takes on a supporting role in the film. Her casting was seen as a move to attract broader audiences, but many critics feel her character is underwritten and does little to advance the plot. Oscar Isaac, who has earned acclaim for roles in Ex Machina, Star Wars, and Moon Knight, plays both the lead modern-day scholar and the historical figure of Dante. While his performance is often praised, reviewers note that even his considerable talent cannot salvage the disjointed script. Gerard Butler, known for action films like 300 and Olympus Has Fallen, also appears in a limited role that has been described as wasted potential.
The film’s production history is as complex as its narrative. Julian Schnabel, primarily a visual artist before turning to filmmaking, previously directed critically acclaimed works such as Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. His distinctive visual style is evident in In the Hand of Dante, with striking cinematography and evocative period settings. However, the ambitious structure of the story seems to have overwhelmed even his artistic sensibilities. The film reportedly underwent significant editing challenges, with multiple versions screened to test audiences before its Netflix debut. The final cut runs over two and a half hours, a length that several critics argue is excessive given the film’s narrative confusion.
The source material, Nick Tosches’ 2002 novel In the Hand of Dante, is a dense and literary work that has long been considered a cult classic. Tosches weaves together the story of a scholar who discovers the lost manuscript of The Divine Comedy with a parallel narrative set in Renaissance Italy. The novel explores themes of obsession, authenticity, and the nature of artistic creation. Adapting such a cerebral text for the screen was always going to be a challenge, and Schnabel’s decision to incorporate Dante’s own life as a character adds another layer of complexity. Critics argue that the film tries to do too much, losing the clarity that made the novel compelling.
In the original novel, the modern-day protagonist is a book dealer named Nick, who becomes entangled with the mob . The film adaptation keeps this basic premise but expands the historical sections significantly. The result, according to many viewers, is an overstuffed narrative that fails to find a coherent emotional core. The presence of so many acclaimed actors only highlights the script’s shortcomings, as scenes that should be powerful come across as disjointed and poorly motivated.
The negative reception of In the Hand of Dante has also sparked discussions about the state of prestige streaming projects. Netflix has invested heavily in high-profile, star-driven films, often giving directors considerable creative freedom. While this has led to successes like The Irishman and Roma, it has also resulted in ambitious misfires. The film’s failure underscores the difficulty of balancing artistic ambition with coherent storytelling, especially when adapting complex literary works. Many industry insiders have noted that the film might have benefited from more aggressive editing or a stricter narrative focus.
Despite the harsh criticism, In the Hand of Dante has found a niche audience. Some viewers appreciate its willingness to take risks and its lush visual style. The film has been discussed extensively on social media, with many users creating memes and commentary about its most bewildering moments. This strange notoriety may ultimately make it a cult film in the years to come. For now, however, it remains a notable cautionary example of what happens when a star-studded production loses sight of the story it is trying to tell.
The film’s original score, composed by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, has been singled out as one of its few bright spots. Sakamoto, who passed away in 2023, delivered a haunting and atmospheric soundtrack that many feel deserved a better film. The score adds a layer of melancholy that underscores the film’s themes of lost art and obsession. Unfortunately, even this musical contribution cannot lift the overall production out of the critical abyss.
In the end, In the Hand of Dante will likely be remembered as a fascinating failure—a film that dared to be different but collapsed under the weight of its own ambitions. Its availability on Netflix means it will continue to be discovered by curious viewers who want to decide for themselves whether the criticism is justified. For fans of the novel or of the actors involved, it may still offer moments of interest. But for most, the critical consensus remains a fair assessment: a muddled, slow, and ultimately disappointing experience that fails to do justice to its celebrated source material.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment News