Gal Gadot is once again facing intense criticism after her latest performance became the dominant talking point following the release of Netflix's In the Hand of Dante.
The 41-year-old actress stars in Oscar-nominated director Julian Schnabel's drama alongside an A-list cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Al Pacino, Jason Momoa, and Gerard Butler. But the film's biggest talking point isn't its star-studded cast or ambitious premise.
Highlights
- In the Hand of Dante earns harsh reviews despite its star-studded cast.
- Critics single out Gal Gadot's performance as the film's biggest talking point.
- The director breaks his silence as backlash surrounding the film continues.
Instead, the first wave of reviews has zeroed in on Gadot's performance, with critics delivering a harsh verdict.
Netflix's In the Hand of Dante was met with scathing reviews from critics
Image credits: Netflix
Directed by Julian Schnabel, In the Hand of Dante is based on Nick Tosches’ 2002 novel of the same name.
It stars Oscar Isaac in the dual role of Nick Tosches and Dante Alighieri, revolving around a manuscript of The Divine Comedy as it passes from a priest to a New York mob boss.
The film was released on Netflix on June 24, 2026, receiving mostly unfavorable reviews from critics. According to Decider, it is a “time-hopping trainwreck” with particularly “stiff” dialogue delivery from Gal Gadot.
Image credits: Netflix
A critic for Metro described it as “a sprawling, overly ambitious mess that’s hard to follow,” comparing it to Francis Ford Coppola’s 2024 film Megalopolis, which became one of the year's biggest box-office disasters.
Another critic writing for RogerEbert.com made a similar comparison, calling it “alternately riveting and dull as dirt,” while a reviewer for Little White Lies slammed it as “a high-minded mess” filled with “multiple career-worst performances.”
Netizens haven't been kind towards Gal Gadot's performance in the film
Image credits: Netflix
The string of poor reviews earned it a staggeringly low critics’ score of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the year's worst-rated films. While it performed slightly better with casual viewers, its audience score currently sits at 43%.
On social media, many viewers criticized Gadot's dual performance as Gemma Donati and her modern-day counterpart, Giulietta.
“At least we now know that Gal Gadot's a terrible actress no matter what era she's thrown into,” one person said.
Image credits: Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Another commented, “I kinda see what they wanted to do with this, but the exe*ution was horrible, and get Gal Gadot off the fuc*ing screen.”
“Why do people ruin their films by casting Gal Gadot lol she can really ruin any scene with a single line,” a third added.
The Wonder Woman actress had previously been called out by moviegoers for poor performances in films such as last year’s critically panned Snow White remake and Netflix’s Heart of Stone.
Director defends Gal Gadot's performance amid boycott calls
Image credits: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
On X, several users claimed that they lost interest in the movie because of Gadot’s involvement.
Several fans cited the 41-year-old Israeli actress’s political views and controversial public statements as reasons to boycott all her future projects.
“Almost watched it, then I saw Gal Gadot was in it and quickly removed it from my watchlist,” one user said.
Despite the backlash against Gadot, director Julian Schnabel defended her and the rest of the cast’s performances during an interview with Ynet.
Image credits: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
“The casting of Gal created a big mess that has nothing to do with the film. Gal did phenomenal work,” he said.
The 74-year-old argued that he saw no reason to boycott actors over their views and had cast them based on merit. He added that the cast's work was "exceptional," describing both Gadot and Gerard Butler as "amazing" actors.
In the Hand of Dante is currently streaming on Netflix.