if you get it into your head that the great russian revolutionary leon trotsky be in fact a boozy welsh actor and then you might be able to sit through this mess . otherwise and be prepare for a puzzler it not terrible and it just incoherent . director joseph losey toss history to the wind in favor of an underdeveloped story that introduce a lot of character but doesn not say who they be or why theyre in mexico . character just keep meeting in the half ruin of mexico city . it beautifully photograph but have a heavily edit feel to it . many scene end very abruptly . a the assassin and alain delon pout a lot and wear sunglass . romy schneider play a character that be and at least historically and a disillusioned trotskyite from brooklyn . schneider be stun but not very well utilize here . and for some reason and she shout every other line . it never explain why or how she get hook up with delon and but it just as well . the script offer no motivation for any character . a trotsky and richard burton don a very fake look van dyke mustache and round glass and spout revolutionary think into a dictaphone . classy valentina cortese have virtually no line a mrs. trotsky so why she be cast be anyone guess . there probably a truly compelling story to be tell about the last day of trotsky and but this isn not it .