At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I really don't know why anyone would want to watch this movie, unless you're a Russian history buff and particularly wants to watch a movie about the end of Trotsky's life. I'm not spoiling anything; it's in the title! Richard Burton plays the doomed titular character, but besides wearing glasses and a goatee, he doesn't really do much to try and convince the audience he's Russian.Trotsky is living in Mexico, and through Stalin's orders, a young man is faced with the task of assassinating him. Who wants to watch that? Throw in a non-exciting romance, random Trotsky rants, and a disgusting bullfight after which the bull is chopped up into little bits, and you have a pretty lousy movie.

Doubtless, one of the greatest tragedies ever inflicted upon mankind was the rise and spread of communism in the 20th century. For the ideology to control the masses, millions were killed and large segments of the population were imprisoned or sent to labor camps. Several countries were destroyed and the hatred among classes became the basis of the "International movement" for world domination.A big mess like that should never be forgotten and that's why I encourage everybody, especially young people, to be well informed on all matters pertaining to the communist horrors. Now for the film review I must start mentioning that "The Assassination of Trosky" is not an anti-communist film, nor is it anti-Soviet or anti-Stalin or anti-anything. I can't even vouch for its historical accuracy but I still recommend it for the importance of the subject matter. In short for those who totally ignore who Trosky was and his place on the Soviet debacle this could be a good place to start.The 1972 film boasts a prestigious cast of actors and an intelligent director but somehow those ingredients don't add up to a good movie. I can't place my finger on it but it could be the sometimes vague script, the slow moving start or even some of the performances. I may get grief for saying this but I found Richard Burton totally miscast as the Russian revolutionary and you can tell he's wearing a fake goatee a mile away. As the movie progresses there are some moments in which he shines but overall he comes through too Shakespearean to be credible.Meanwhile the character of the assassin, as played by the great Alain Delon, is never given the opportunity to be for real. Mr. Delon plays it full of nervous ticks like he doesn't understand what motivated Mercader, the real killer, to embark in such a gruesome mission. Maybe there was no research that could inform him that his character was the son of Caridad, a Cuban lady who has gone down in history as the ultimate mother from hell. The lady, who after her marriage to a Spanish rich guy, showed signs of mental instability, raised all her sons to be servants of the communist international movement. (For an excellent presentation of the Mercader character and the whole Trosky affair try to see the 1996 award winning documentary "Storm The Skies", a real gem.) As much as I love Romy Schneiner, I have to guess that her character is a total fabrication in order to pair her again with real life ex-amour Delon and to show them again loving and fighting. The producers must have thought that including her would give the film an extra boost at the box office and maybe it did. Although she gets briefs chances to display her histrionics as Delon's lover and Burton's secretary she seems to belong in a different movie. Of the actors only Valentina Cortese seems credible as the devoted Trosky wife.In short I recommend this film with reservations. Some of you might even like the scene where Trosky gets killed and the premonition at the bull ring with all its cinematic gore but I really hope that it will turn you on into a deeper understanding of Soviet cruelty and the horrible things that happened not to long ago. It could happen again, you know?

I have mentioned this comment contains a spoiler. This is a tricky matter as the viewer of this film must certainly knows how it ends (much as a viewer of any film about the Battle of the Alamo or the Battle of Little Big Horn has to know, before seeing the film, the ultimate end); nonetheless, to be absolutely frank and forward I will state that my comment contains a spoiler or two.A lot of viewers of historical films complain that some (if not all) films do not show things "as they actually happened" or is "historically incorrect". Well, they are correct, but usually the changes are made in order to make the film more desirable to the audience; after all, the various films (such as "Titanic") were made not for historians but for movie audiences. Therefore, the directors of most films will take a little "artistic license" during the production of the films.This movie stays pretty much on course historically and has been criticized by a lot of people for that; people who probably would have also criticized the film had it been historically inaccurate. Sometimes you just can't win...And, that sums up the plot of this film (and historical drama). There is no way that either Trotsky or Jacson (his assassin) will win. Trotsky is convincingly played by Richard Burton. He shows Trotsky as a man who has refused to run any more from Stalin; no matter that this will inevitably doom him.Alan Deleon (the French version of Richard Gere) portrays the assassin in a way the allows the audience to sympathize with him; even if not approving of what he is about to do. Romy Schneider portrays Jacson's mistress; a fellow communist. In real life a few years before DeLeon and Schneider had been a real life unmarried couple; then, after a couple of years their relationship had ended and they went on to marry different people. Deleon did help Schneider to get some parts afterwards and this was one of them. Knowing this makes viewing this affair (of Jackson and his mistress) on screen difficult as one knows that these actors had actually been in this situation; loving and fighting. Sometimes close; sometimes hating each other. A viewer watching some uncomfortable emotionally charged performances can insulate him or herself by the fact that the performances are simply acting; not real. Yet, in this case that emotional insulation is not there. These people were playing out a true relationship on screen, and it is painfully realistic to watch.The nature of the murder is foretold in the movie by the bullfight. I have been to a number of bullfights and this one shows a sloppy end with a bloody and prolonged death of the bull. Though bullfight affecionados would like for you to believe that a bullfight ends with a skillful and swift sword stroke by the matador (such as seen in the movie "Fail Safe") the reality is that quite a few bullfights end up as little more than butchery. Which is a good reason to continue to ban those exhibitions in the United States. Well, I digress but not by much. The fact is that assassination is not a particularly noble affair and the film does leave one wondering why Jacson used a pick axe instead of his pistol. The film shows the murder in painfully realistic detail. Nothing glorified. This movie shows it like it was, and it was gruesome.It does put into perspective the nature of assassination. Some additional points about this movie: It was made in 1972 and at that time no one knew how the Cold War would end (the Communists were winning in Southeast Asia then). Trotsky is shown in this film as a Communist of a different sort; with some humanity much as we would later view Premier Gorbochev, but this was made years before anybody had heard of Gorby. Anyway, one underlying theme of the movie is how different things might be by 1972 if Trotsky had not been killed. Perhaps he would have thrown enough of a counterweight to Stalin that the Cold War might not have begun. Of historical interest is the portrayal of the American guards of Trotsky; Communists who did not have an accent! Most people do not know or remember that there were some very genuine Americans who were openly Communist before WWII and were proud of that. In fact, 1940 represented a high water mark of sorts of the membership of the American Communist Party. After WWII, when the excesses of the Stalin regime became known in the West, most of the American Communists dropped their membership in that party and joined the Democrats. The movie is painfully realistic; hence the low ratings is sometimes receives. Yet, history is painful at times and this movie does not pull punches. It does not give us a typical Hollywood sugar coated ending because, quite frankly, that was not the type of ending in this matter. Jacson was a murderer who, like most murderers, could only discover how horrible murder is by actually committing it. Painful and realistic is how I would describe this forgotten jewel.

If you get it into your head that the great Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky was in fact a boozy Welsh actor, then you might be able to sit through this mess. Otherwise, be prepared for a puzzler --- it's not terrible, it's just incoherent. Director Joseph Losey tosses history to the wind in favor of an underdeveloped story that introduces a lot of characters but doesn't say who they are or why they're in Mexico. Characters just keep meeting in the half ruins of Mexico City. It's beautifully photographed but has a heavily edited feel to it. Many scenes end very abruptly.As the assassin, Alain Delon pouts a lot and wears sunglasses. Romy Schneider plays a character that was, at least historically, a disillusioned Trotskyite from Brooklyn! Schneider is stunning but not very well utilized here. And for some reason, she shouts every other line. It's never explained why or how she got hooked up with Delon, but it's just as well...the script offers no motivation for any character. As Trotsky, Richard Burton dons a very fake looking van dyke mustache and round glasses and spouts revolutionary thought into a Dictaphone. Classy Valentina Cortese has virtually no lines as Mrs. Trotsky so why she was cast is anyone's guess.There's probably a truly compelling story to be told about the last days of Trotsky, but this isn't it.