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‘In the Hand of Dante’ Hits Netflix, Critics Decry Slowness

6/25/2026

Summary

Schnabel's Dante Premiere

Julian Schnabel (director)’s *In the Hand of Dante* premiered at the Venice Film Festival and launched on Netflix.
Oscar Isaac (actor) stars as writer Nick Tosches, hired by a mob led by John Malkovich (actor)’s Joe Black to recover a lost handwritten page of Dante’s *Divine Comedy*.
Critics call the 153-minute, black-and-white-and-color film sluggish and overindulgent, noting repetitive dialogue despite its ambitious premise.

Summary

Schnabel Blends Eras

Schnabel crafted the film to mirror the tortured genius of Dante, Botticelli and Da Vinci.
The script adapts Nick Tosches’s novel, blending fictional memoirs about the Rolling Stones and the September 11 attacks.
Schnabel uses shifting aspect ratios and black-and-white cinematography for modern scenes to set them apart from the medieval timeline.
Dual casting underscores love and violence across eras while cameo appearances by Al Pacino and Gerard Butler as Pope Boniface VIII reinforce the theme.

Summary

Momoa Ignites Debate

The film holds a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 critic reviews.
The ensemble includes Jason Momoa and acclaimed director Martin Scorsese in acting roles.
Julian Schnabel co-wrote the screenplay with Louise Kugelberg.
The movie adapts Nick Tosches’s 2002 novel of the same name.
Early commentary suggests the release may become one of the year’s most debated films.

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Schnabel's Dante Premiere

Julian Schnabel (director)’s *In the Hand of Dante* premiered at the Venice Film Festival and launched on Netflix.
Oscar Isaac (actor) stars as writer Nick Tosches, hired by a mob led by John Malkovich (actor)’s Joe Black to recover a lost handwritten page of Dante’s *Divine Comedy*.
Critics call the 153-minute, black-and-white-and-color film sluggish and overindulgent, noting repetitive dialogue despite its ambitious premise.

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