

In the Hand of Dante
A Vatican priest discovers Dante's original Divine Comedy manuscript. When asked to authenticate it, writer Nick Tosches steals it, while a parallel story follows Dante's quest to create his masterpiece.
Critics Sentiment
Al Pacino appears as Uncle Carmine in a scene reviewers called the film's best four minutes
The film's conclusion feels forced and fails to deliver emotional or thematic payoff
The film drops from its energetic early peak around the Pacino cameo (7.2) into the grinding incoherence of the final third (3.5), a swing of 3.7 points that mirrors reviewers' near-universal complaint that the film's first two-thirds are squandered by a pretentious and sentimental collapse.
In the Hand of Dante opens with genuine energy and visual ambition, earning goodwill through Butler's crime-world charisma, Isaac's committed dual performance, and standout cameos from Pacino and Scorsese. The middle section begins to buckle under the weight of its own literary pretensions, with the timeline crosscutting losing rhythm and Gadot's performance drawing sharp criticism. The final third collapses almost entirely, with reviewers broadly agreeing that the film trades its scabrous black comedy for solemn romantic fantasy, leaving a talented cast and a fascinating source novel feeling thoroughly wasted.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 59
Oscar Isaac
Nick Tosches / Dante Alighieri

Gal Gadot
Giulietta / Gemma Donati

Gerard Butler
Louie / Pope Bonifacio VIII

John Malkovich
Joe Black

Louis Cancelmi
Lefty / Guido Novello da Polenta

Sabrina Impacciatore
Dr. Susanna Pulice

Franco Nero
Don Lecco

Benjamin Clementine
Mephistopheles

Paolo Bonacelli
Priest of Alcamo

Martin Scorsese
Isaiah

Al Pacino
Uncle Carmine

Jason Momoa
Rosario
Ibrahim Elouahabi
Young Nick (8)
Gavin Weingarten
Boy With Wagon (11)

Dario Samac
Young Dante (14)

Duke Nicholson
Bar Manager

Denise Capezza
Nick's Ex Girlfriend

Galen Hopper
Nick's Daughter

Lorenzo Zurzolo
Don Lecco (30)

Vincenzo Leto
Don Lecco's Father
Crew
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