
Entertainment
Share
Published 16:34 26 Jun 2026 BST
Updated 16:34 26 Jun 2026 BST

In the Hand of Dante, a new and star-studded historical epic/gangster thriller, has just been added to Netflix.
Directed by Julian Schnabel (At Eternity's Gate, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), the movie is an adaptation of the 2002 novel of the same name by Nick Tosches.
The film tells two parallel stories. The first, shown in black-and-white, follows a fictionalised version of Tosches (played by Oscar Isaac - Beef, Frankenstein), a New York author who finds himself recruited by a mafia don (John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire). This is to steal an original manuscript of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, written in the poet's own hand.
The other plotline, shown in colour, depicts Dante himself (also played by Isaac) in the 14th century as he seeks the inspiration to write his most important work.
As Netflix's plot description states: "Each man [is] unknowingly connected through time and their obsessive quest for love, beauty, and the divine."
Alongside Isaac and Malkovich, the cast of In the Hand of Dante also features Al Pacino (The Irishman), Franco Nero (Django), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Gerard Butler (Greenland), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Louis Cancelmi (Killers of the Flower Moon), and Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus).
On top of executive producing the movie, Martin Scorsese (Casino, Goodfellas, the upcoming Netflix show The Roman) also appears in the film, playing a mentor to Dante.
In the Hand of Dante premiered at the prestigious Venice Film Festival last year, where it received mixed reviews. That said, the movie garnered praise for its cinematography and its ambition, particularly the way it blends a crime thriller with a literary drama and a historical epic.
In the Hand of Dante is streaming on Netflix right now.
Explore more on these topics:

Entertainment
entertainment