This late biographical drama about the last days of Alexander Trotsky is an interesting misfire, filled with potential but never quite delivering. Richard Burton, considered one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, had his share of flops where he was not quite praised, and during its release, this was one of them. He isn't bad as Trotsky, and in fact, he does have several great moments where Trotsky ponders his fate and expresses his moral point of view. Burton's British accent is distracting as are the French accents of Alain Deloin as his brutal killer and Romy Schneider as Burton's secretary/Deloin's mistress. But, taking dramatic license, it's easy to get past this and just taken the facts as presented.
Set in Mexico in 1940, this shows the social issues going on there as well as the impact of trustees presence in the middle of it. Deloin plays a character whose lack of a personality indicates that little was known about the man who killed Trotsky, and while it is obvious how he got into Trotsky's world to eventually assassinate him, the assassination is brutal, but there are times when Burton in character does seem resigned to his fate, even though he expected a different cause to lead to his ending. This is far from a perfect film with really no motive presented other than the fact that even though in exile, Trotsky was considered an enemy to the new Russian order, one that he had helped create. The ending is dragged out and merciless, one of the main flaws of the film.
Set in Mexico in 1940, this shows the social issues going on there as well as the impact of trustees presence in the middle of it. Deloin plays a character whose lack of a personality indicates that little was known about the man who killed Trotsky, and while it is obvious how he got into Trotsky's world to eventually assassinate him, the assassination is brutal, but there are times when Burton in character does seem resigned to his fate, even though he expected a different cause to lead to his ending. This is far from a perfect film with really no motive presented other than the fact that even though in exile, Trotsky was considered an enemy to the new Russian order, one that he had helped create. The ending is dragged out and merciless, one of the main flaws of the film.