Julian Schnabel's "In the Hand of Dante," now streaming on Netflix, ambitiously attempts to weave together a turn-of-the-century mob story with the Middle Ages origins of Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy." Despite a star-studded cast and a compelling central concept, the film struggles under the weight of its own narrative aspirations, resulting in a languid and ultimately underwhelming viewing experience.
The film adapts Nick Tosches' 2002 novel, positioning a fictionalized version of the author, played by Oscar Isaac, as the protagonist. This modern-day Tosches becomes entangled in a New York mob scheme to acquire a potentially priceless artifact: recently discovered writings by Dante himself. The narrative conceit is heightened by having Isaac also portray Dante, a commendable choice that could have fostered intriguing thematic connections.
However, the film quickly overextends this dual-role concept by assigning nearly every actor multiple parts across the film's distinct timelines. While Gal Gadot logically plays love interests in both eras, and Gerard Butler embodies a mob enforcer and Pope Boniface VIII, these reappearances often feel incidental rather than thematically resonant. The potential for commentary on social or religious structures remains largely unrealized.
The primary plot unfolds in the early 2000s, with Tosches hired by mob boss Joe Black (John Malkovich) to travel to Italy and authenticate Dante's potential last surviving manuscript. Accompanied by Butler's volatile enforcer, the heist plot gradually unravels over the film's considerable 153-minute runtime. Early flashbacks hint at a deeper confrontation with religion, particularly through a brief but impactful scene with Al Pacino as Tosches' uncle, who advises on reconciling violent actions within a Catholic framework. These moments of personal drama offer more substance than the subsequent heist narrative, which is frequently bogged down by verbose and repetitive dialogue.
Echoes of Martin Scorsese's style are present, from narrative structure to musical choices. The filmmaker himself makes an appearance as an elderly teacher to Dante, engaging with the poet's soul-searching journey. However, this element, like many others, feels like a small piece of a larger, disconnected puzzle. The film's attempts to merge its reflective themes with narrative propulsion, further complicated by Jason Momoa as a pursuer, falter as the story drifts in too many directions to cohere.
Despite its setting around September 11, 2001, the event serves only as background noise. The initial premise of Tosches identifying with Dante yields only superficial connections between the timelines. While the technical details of authenticating ancient documents offer some intrigue, they occupy too little of the film's duration.
Visually, director Julian Schnabel and cinematographer Roman Vasyanov employ a detached, handheld camera style that floats listlessly. This approach, repeated without significant evolution, ironically mirrors Tosches' discussion of Dante being trapped by his poetic form, suggesting Schnabel himself may be stifled by a limited stylistic choice. Unlike his earlier, more acclaimed films about artists, "In the Hand of Dante" presents a dry, instructional manual rather than a captivating exploration.