‘Ludicrous’ In the Hand of Dante reminds me of Megalopolis

In the Hand of Dante, the new film from acclaimed director Julian Schnabel, sadly proves that 15 years in development doesn’t a movie masterpiece make.

And like Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis last year, there’s a distinct impression of a veteran filmmaker left to run riot and turn in an overly indulgent and, at times, incomprehensible film that claims to address major themes but will most likely leave audiences baffled.

Again, like Coppola’s picture, there is a certain level of respect that has been earned by Schnabel for the bold decisions he’s made here, even if they largely don’t work.

He too has assembled a starry and slightly random cast for In the Hand of Dante, with Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, Jason Momoa, Al Pacino, John Malkovich, Franco Nero and – um – Martin Scorsese popping up.

The ambitious story sees Isaac play Italian literature giant Dante Alighieri, charting the journey of a handwritten manuscript of his 14th-century masterpiece poem The Divine Comedy from the Vatican library to a New York mob boss to journalist Nick Tosches (also Isaac, his second film at Venice after Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein) in 2001, to verify its authenticity.

Tosches wrote the novel the movie’s based on, which contains this fictionalised version of himself, but Schnabel went a step further and decided to make Tosches the reincarnation of Dante, alongside Gadot as both Dante’s wife Gemma and Nick’s stand-in assistant.

It’s already quite a lot to contend with, without the onslaught of Dante quotations pelted at the audience throughout the film’s 153-minute run time, of which I felt many of those minutes.

However, there are some bright spots, including an extended cameo for Pacino as Nick’s uncle during his childhood – as well as elevating anything he’s in, he’s the only actor that truly masters the confusing swings between high drama and comedy with total believability.

Isaac also does his best in two very challenging roles, perhaps succeeding slightly better as the rather chaotic and sleazy Nick. But he remains a great and committed actor, something which is of particular note in In the Hand of Dante when he’s in almost every scene and the rest of the film is largely on fire around him.

Although giving a man a penchant for sniffing women’s tights in this day and age is quite hard to recover from when we all know they are the least sexy garment.

Butler is a pleasant surprise in his own dual role of particularly nasty gangster and (an oddly Scottish) Italian pope – he’s made the decision that the film is a comedy and his performances work all the better for it. His associate, played by Malkovich, is also a bit of a hoot because he’s an actor who always brings his own distinct, slightly odd vibe. And that’s perfect for this movie.

Unfortunately, Gadot’s parts are both underwritten and over-the-top, but nor does she exactly shine. She’s too quick to fall head over heels, although asking for realism in a film where they’re playing 700-year-old reincarnations is probably a bit much.

Schnabel says In the Hand of Dante is a tragicomedy but it comes across as noir, satire, melodrama, and absurdist comedy depending on the scene. I say this not because everything must fit neatly into one genre but to emphasise how all over the shop the tone of the movie is.

It’s also very violent in places with its mob connections, including one especially vile mafia execution by Butler’s character, and another scene involving fingernails being torn off by someone’s teeth. Shudder.

The ending continues In the Hand of Dante’s fondness towards being at times incomprehensible, bordering on ludicrous.

Although some separate scenes and stars have merit on their own, it’s not enough to lift the film from unintelligible chaos – but you may enjoy it for that very reason.

In the Hand of Dante premiered on Wednesday at Venice Film Festival. It is yet to receive a UK release date.

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