The long-awaited film, In the Hand of Dante, is a chaotic blend of genres and tone, with a star-studded cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, and Gerard Butler.
Isaac takes on the dual lead role of Dante Alighieri and journalist Nick Tosches, navigating the journey of a handwritten manuscript of Dante's 14th-century masterpiece poem, The Divine Comedy. The film sees this manuscript travel from the Vatican library to a New York mob boss and to Tosches in 2001, where its authenticity is verified.
The story is based on the novel by Nick Tosches, which contains a fictionalized version of himself. Director Julian Schnabel has taken this a step further, making Tosches the reincarnation of Dante, alongside Gadot as both Dante's wife Gemma and Nick's temporary assistant.
Despite its ambitious storyline, the film struggles with tone, veering wildly between high drama and comedy. However, some bright spots can be found in an extended cameo by Al Pacino as Nick's uncle during his childhood, and Gerard Butler's performance as a violent gangster and the pope, which he treats as a comedy.
Isaac also shines in two challenging roles, perhaps succeeding slightly better as the chaotic and sleazy Nick. However, Gadot's parts are underwritten and over-the-top, and she doesn't quite shine in her dual roles.
The film's tone is all over the shop, veering between noir, satire, melodrama, and absurdist comedy. It's also very violent in places, with mob connections and graphic scenes that may leave viewers squirming.
Despite its confusing and sometimes incomprehensible nature, In the Hand of Dante has some separate scenes and stars that have merit on their own. However, it's not enough to lift the film from its unintelligible chaos.
Verdict: In the Hand of Dante is a sprawling, overly-ambitious mess that's hard to follow at times, despite some of its actors' best efforts. But if you enjoyed the perplexing excess of Megalopolis, then this may be one for you.
In the Hand of Dante is streaming exclusively on Netflix now.
