In The Hand Of Dante

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2:36

In The Hand Of Dante

R

Jun 2026

2h 33m

Drama

Crime

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

43%

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50+ Ratings

In the Hand of Dante follows the parallel lives of a New York author (Nick Tosches) in the 21st century who embarks on a violent journey after he is recruited by a mafia don to steal Italian poet Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy written in the poet's own hand, and Dante in the 14th century seeking inspiration to write his most important work -- each man unknowingly connected through time and their obsessive quest for love, beauty, and the divine.

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Critics Consensus

In the Hand of Dante is a bloated, wildly overplayed literary fever dream whose attempts to merge past and present collapse into accidental farce.

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Odie Henderson

Boston Globe

Jun 27

1/4

expected a bonkers romp through the arts and literature. Instead, I was fed a cold porridge of pretention that spends 150 interminable minutes hopping through time while switching between black and white and color cinematography.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Jun 26

4/5

Isaac is magnetic in the central role but is outdone by the transformative Butler.

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Laura Miller

Slate

Jun 26

By the time the movie resorts to a dream sequence in which Gadot appears naked on a clamshell hovering over the ocean à la Botticelli’s Venus, the entire film has become so silly that the only thing to do between yawns is laugh.

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Rory Doherty

Inverse

3d

Despite the goodwill the film generates from being so strange and unpredictable, its two-and-a-half-hour search for the pulpy sublime doesn’t live up to its genius subject matter.

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James Preston Poole

But Why Tho?

4d

4/10

In The Hand of Dante represents not Inferno, nor Paradiso, but Purgatorio.

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Erik Childress

Movie Madness Podcast

4d

2/4

Cut out all the historical parallels and Schnabel may have had a fascinating story about artistic authentication and the criminal capitalists only interested in its worth monetarily. Instead it’s a messy, sometimes silly and unfocused curiosity.

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Abby C

@RT76398404 1h

Before I saw this I read two critics reviews - one loved it and the other hated it, so I figured the movie would be polarizing. Basically it's a love story. The film resembles a play in places and borrows heavily both contextually and in dialogue from medieval literature, including winking at Shakespeare. I'm thinking any number of critics and audience members will find it overly detailed, long and too 'high minded'. Which is fine, it wasn't made for quick thrills or action. I expect the audience will skew *much* older as well due to length, subject matter and pacing. The acting is strong, although Gerard Butler's accent drifts a little here and there. I felt that the intertwining of historical and present day, and the juxtaposition of black and white with colour filming, added well to the story. Overall an enjoyable tale, with a slower pace for weekend watching.

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Chery W

@RT46121223 5h

So well done! Captivating and entertaining on so many levels. Excellent cast, plot twists, locations, costumes, and a nuanced storyline that kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I loved it and will watch it again. The one thing I could have done less of was the gun violence.

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Sarah T

@RT28048506 11h

The biggest problem with this movie, in my opinion, is Gal Gadot's performance. I found her acting so wooden and unconvincing that it overwhelmed everything else the film had going for it. Every line sounded rehearsed rather than lived-in, with awkward delivery that drained the emotion from scene after scene. Gal Gadot is truly a disappointing actress and the movies she’s in are utterly underwhelming.

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Tiffany G

@RT23468976 1d

Review: wp.me/p65txm-iwJ/#InTheHandOfDante

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Chris M

@RT09305002 3d

Reminds me of Jesus of Montreal. Don’t understand the harshness.

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Diane S

@dianeknows 3d

Interesting story some excellent acting

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Julian Schnabel

Director

Oscar Isaac

Nick

Gal Gadot

Giulietta

Gerard Butler

Louie

John Malkovich

Joe Black

Louis Cancelmi

Lefty

In the Hand of Dante: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the Hand of Dante follows the parallel lives of a New York author (Nick Tosches) in the 21st century who embarks on a violent journey after he is recruited by a mafia don to steal Italian poet Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy written in the poet's own hand, and Dante in the 14th century seeking inspiration to write his most important work -- each man unknowingly connected through time and their obsessive quest for love, beauty, and the divine.

Director: Julian Schnabel
Producer: Jon Kilik, Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Gabriele Bebe Moratti, Olmo Schnabel, Vito Schnabel
Screenwriter: Julian Schnabel, Louise Kugelberg
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Dreamcrew, Intromagine Pictures, Exemplary Films Corporation
Rating: R (Language|Violence|Sexual References)
Genre: Drama, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 12, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 24, 2026
Runtime: 2h 33m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)