Imagine you have just been told that one of the most famous poems in the world, one whose original text is lost to history, has instead been hidden in a crypt in the Vatican for centuries. Not only that, you are being commissioned to go to Italy and recover it.
That is the premise of “In the Hand of Dante,” a film based on a novel of the same name. The novel is by Nick Tosches, and his main character, a writer with voluminous knowledge of Dante, is also named Nick Tosches.
The story begins by introducing a thug named Louie (Gerard Butler – “How to Train Your Dragon”) entering an empty bar where he sadistically abuses the bar manager before murdering him. Louie is a swinish ass who kills for a living.
Next, in a throwback 30 years earlier, we see a young boy, Nick, approaching his Uncle Carmine (Al Pacino) to confess that he stabbed another kid to death. After Carmine determines that the other kid started it, and was a stranger, he tells Nick it’s OK and just to keep quiet. Nick grows up to be Nick Tosches (Oscar Isaac), an author and Dante Alighieri (“The Divine Comedy”) expert.
These two people, Louie and Nick, come together in the office of Joe Black (John Malkovich), a criminal boss who has heard about the discovery of the Dante manuscript, and plans to steal it. Louie will provide the muscle and Nick the expertise. All of this is presented in black and white.
But something else is going on. There are other scenes – scenes from Dante’s life 600 years before. These are in vibrant color and feature the same actors. Isaac plays Dante, and Butler plays Pope Boniface VIII, Dante’s foe. The progression in the history long ago loosely follows the criminal progression in modern times, but with archaic language that is difficult to follow – especially in contrast to modern American vernacular.
This film is an intriguing effort by director/screenwriter Julian Schnabel (“At Eternity’s Gate”) along with Louise Kugelberg (“At Eternity’s Gate”). The story is labyrinthine, with many fascinating detours that both enrich and confuse the primary narrative. They also add to the long running time. There are strong performances by Isaac, Butler and Malkovich, as one would expect, but the addition of Pacino, Franco Nero as an ancient mafia don, and Martin Scorsese as a mysterious cleric, really add nothing to the film other than to pad the credits.
Judging from the current rating for the film, many find it less stellar than its cast. Overblown, confusing, boring are some of the terms used. I didn’t find it fully any of those things, but it is long, and it is a bit confusing, with scenes that appear out of nowhere, with no or almost no introduction. In addition, the general brutal nature of the characters involved, including Nick, are difficult to take and impossible to explain other than cruelty for cruelty’s sake.
In that, the film is true to Dante’s vision – at least for the Inferno.
Note: The film has an amazing 44 producers of one type or another, including Isaac and Scorsese.
Runtime: Two hours, 30 minutes
Availability: Currently on Netfix
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