Oscar Isaac's 'In the Hand of Dante' Is a Fever Dream With Al Pacino, Gal Gadot, and Martin Scorsese

What happens when a literary obsession, a mob conspiracy, and the author of The Divine Comedy converge in a single frame? Netflix is betting the answer is one of the most electrifying originals of the year. In the Hand of Dante, starring Oscar Isaac, arrives on June 24 with a time-shifting, noir-soaked narrative that looks like a fever dream — and that may be precisely why it demands attention.

The film follows Nick, a present-day scholar whose fixation with Dante Alighieri pulls him into an underworld of Italian mobsters and ancient secrets. When he is offered the chance to find the lost original manuscript of the Divine Comedy, he gets more than he bargained for: danger, desire, and a journey that vaults across centuries.

A Cast That Feels Like an Industry Joke That Is Actually Real

Even if the plot sounds like a hallucination, the cast list is impossible to dismiss. Oscar Isaac anchors the film as Nick and also appears as Dante himself in vividly colored historical interludes. Gal Gadot arrives as the femme fatale, equal parts magnetic and menacing. Surrounding them is a rotating door of Hollywood royalty.

• Oscar Isaac as Nick / Dante Alighieri
• Gal Gadot as the femme fatale
• Gerard Butler in a supporting turn
• John Malkovich adding his signature menace
• Al Pacino bringing gravitas to the chaos
• Jason Momoa lending physical presence
• Martin Scorsese in a cameo with a nearly unrecognizable, Gandalf-like beard

The Scorsese appearance alone is enough to make social media do double takes. The legendary filmmaker has appeared in front of the camera before, but rarely in a role that looks this wildly theatrical. His inclusion signals that In the Hand of Dante is operating on a different frequency than the standard streaming thriller.

What Is In the Hand of Dante Actually About?

Based on Nick Tosches’ novel, the film plays with the idea of obsession as a gateway to the unknowable. Nick dreams of understanding Dante on a deeper level, but he never expects his wish to become a literal Mob-fueled adventure. In a black-and-white, present-day timeline, he is confronted by the Italian mob in New York and handed a dangerous assignment: find and study the original manuscript of the Divine Comedy.

Once he gets his hands on it, the historical and the modern begin to blur. Dante’s own life is rendered in vivid color, with Isaac inhabiting the poet’s role. The contrast between monochrome noir and saturated history gives the film a painterly, almost surreal quality. It feels less like a conventional adaptation and more like a fever dream assembled by a museum curator.

The tonal shift is bold. This is not a dry literary biopic; it is a genre-bending hybrid that mixes crime thriller, historical epic, and supernatural mystery. The shenanigans that follow the manuscript’s discovery are less about cheap twists and more about the collision of worlds, both internal and external.

Mixed Reviews and the Curious Case of a 43% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Early festival screenings produced a sharply divided response. In the Hand of Dante currently sits at a 43% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a score that often spells doom for a typical release. But in this case, it may only add to the intrigue. Divided scores often mean the material is doing something unusual, something that refuses easy consensus.

Audiences have increasingly learned that a risky movie can be more interesting than a safe one. Netflix, no stranger to algorithm-driven programming, seems willing to let this one be weird. The film's style-heavy direction, unapologetic references to medieval poetry, and sprawling cast suggest an experiment that could either collapse under its own ambition or become a cult favorite within days.

The fact that Scorsese chose to show up, even in a glorified cameo, also carries weight. It is a signal that this project had the blessing of serious cinematic taste. Al Pacino and John Malkovich are not known for wasting their time on forgettable projects, even in the streaming era.

Why This Release Matters to Netflix and the Streaming Landscape

Netflix needs titles that break through the noise. With an overwhelming volume of releases every month, originals need distinctive hooks and recognizable faces. In the Hand of Dante has both in abundance. The casting alone functions as a marketing engine, capable of generating curiosity before a single frame is seen.

The movie also gives Netflix a chance to court the art-house crowd while maintaining mainstream appeal. If it can pull in fans of Oscar Isaac, followers of Gal Gadot, and the swaths of viewers who will tune in just to see Scorsese in a beard, it can deliver a strong premier weekend. For a film that might not appeal to every taste, that is a solid position to occupy.

A Visual Experience That Deserves a Big Screen

One of the most striking elements of the production is its visual identity. Black-and-white sequences create a classic noir texture, while the Dante-era scenes burst with saturated color. That contrast is not just cosmetic; it reinforces the film’s central themes of obsession, duality, and the pull between the earthly and the divine. For viewers with a high-end TV or projector, this is likely to be one of the more visually interesting Netflix releases of 2026.

This is also a film that seems tailor-made for frame-grabbing. Every scene appears designed to be discussed, memed, and analyzed. In the age of social media, that can be more valuable than a uniformly positive critical response.

The Verdict Is Still Out — And That Is the Point

There is no denying that In the Hand of Dante is a gamble. It asks audiences to accept a surreal premise, a massive cast, and a tonal mash-up that could go gloriously right or spectacularly wrong. But in a cinematic landscape dominated by sequels and IP, a film this odd, this ambitious, and this star-packed deserves attention.

When it lands on Netflix on June 24, it will bring with it a peculiar promise: the chance to see a group of legendary actors and one very dedicated Oscar Isaac chase a literary Holy Grail through time, color, and mob-controlled streets. Whether it becomes a masterpiece or a beautiful mess, it already looks like the kind of movie people will be talking about long after the credits roll.

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