"The Assassination of Trotsky" is one of the entries in Harry Medved's exceptional book "The 50 Worst Movies of All Time". And, while I might not hate the movie as much as he did, I did see it and thought it was terrible...much of it due to some awful overacting.
The story is based on true events. During the Russian Revolution and reign of Vladimir Lenin, Trotsky was considered one of the founders of the USSR. But, after the incredibly paranoid and homicidal Stalin took power, Trotsky was seen as a dangerous rival and he had to run from the Soviet Union or suffer the same fate as other folks Stalin disliked...death. He took refuge in Mexico and was eventually murdered by a NKVD agent.
So why is this movie so bad? Well, it has many strikes against it. First, Leon Trotsky wasn't exactly a swell fellow, so it's difficult to feel for him like you might feel for a stranger. Second, the script was duller than dirt. But finally, third, the acting. Although Alain Delon and Richard Burton could do wonderous things on the screen, both are pretty dreadful here. And, Delon manages to even be worse than Burton in the overacting department.
Overall, a movie that is dull, badly acted and, believe it or not, kind of silly.
The story is based on true events. During the Russian Revolution and reign of Vladimir Lenin, Trotsky was considered one of the founders of the USSR. But, after the incredibly paranoid and homicidal Stalin took power, Trotsky was seen as a dangerous rival and he had to run from the Soviet Union or suffer the same fate as other folks Stalin disliked...death. He took refuge in Mexico and was eventually murdered by a NKVD agent.
So why is this movie so bad? Well, it has many strikes against it. First, Leon Trotsky wasn't exactly a swell fellow, so it's difficult to feel for him like you might feel for a stranger. Second, the script was duller than dirt. But finally, third, the acting. Although Alain Delon and Richard Burton could do wonderous things on the screen, both are pretty dreadful here. And, Delon manages to even be worse than Burton in the overacting department.
Overall, a movie that is dull, badly acted and, believe it or not, kind of silly.