It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"La Ley De Herodes" it's a 1999 political dark comedy directed by Luis Estrada known for being a filmmaker who's films are filled with social commentary and satire, this was his very first political satire, the filmmakers had a lot of trouble releasing the film, Mexico's government didn't liked the way the film portrayed politicians, but they eventually decided to release the film to avoid troubles with the Mexican people, who would get really angry if they were to find out that their government it's censoring artists. Leaving any controversy aside, "La Ley De Herodes" it's a magnificent film, that condemns the corruption that abounds in México, and it does it in such a beautiful way.The film stars Damián Alcázar, in the role of governor Vargas, a clean man who is promoted to being the mayor of a small town called "San Pedro de los Sahuaros", but he finds out that he's now the mayor of a very poor town, so he decides that he will do everything in his hands to make his town a better place, but his good intentions are overshadowed by greed and corruption.The film its reminiscent of the kind of film that we would see Cantinflas or Tin Tan star in, a honest man who tries to help poor people in a very graceful and comedic way, but it has a darker turn to it, as the film goes on mayor Vargas becomes a despicable character, all the good in him begins to disappear and his greedy and criminal side begins to flourish, by the end, we have a very detestable character who we learn to hate, it also makes us angry, not because hes an unlikable character, but because he reminds us of many real life politicians, who are corrupted by power.A truly marvelous film with great performances, more notably Damián Alcázar, but everyone in the film delivers a really good performance, from the extras to the secondary actors. Luis Estrada's films are among the few films that manage to capture the feeling you get from México, it feels rather sleazy, dirty, filthy, shady, vulgar and uncomfortable. This is as good as political satire gets, the film makes some great commentary in its dialog and characterizations, but it also uses lots of symbolism, like the pigs who are present through most of the of the film. This film has become one of my favorite films, it's dark and comedic approach has been a really important part for my understanding of México, and it opened the door for satire in the Mexican media, now everyone comments on the government, it's easy to make a movie criticizing the government, but this one did it first and it did an amazing job at it, a real masterpiece, from that point on, Luis Estrada would continue to make great movies for the delight of the Mexican people and to the governments despair.Definitely recommended, a great film without a doubt.

Within the film, La Ley De Herodes we can observe the intention of the director to address the several issues involving the Mexican government. While watching the film, what appears to be another simple political satire, rapidly becomes a provocative denunciation of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). Starting by the utilization of sepia tones we can see the satirical undertone of the worn-out" gray" times under the rule of the PRI. This is appears to be a direct criticism of the homogeny of the political party that consistently ruled Mexico for over 70 years. Throughout the film we are exposed to the diverse corruption of the system and its impact on the inhabitants of the country (specifically inhabitants of San Pedro De Los Saguaros). A clear example of the corruptive disorder would be the unstable political government in San Pedro De los Saguaros. Every mayor (including Juan Vargas) was sentenced (lynched and beaten to death) by the inhabitants. This stated that the chaos started from the top of the ladder and quickly escalated down. I believe the director provided this message to state that the country is an important participant in the politics of the country. By having the social chaos we can see that the future lies in the hands of the people. This provided an insight that although the message of the director was intended for a national audience, it did not exclude global viewers. As part of the message, he repeatedly emphasized the critical condition by the inhabitants of the rural towns, which after being seduced by lies and promises condone to having such rulers. This subtly criticizes the national audience by the end of the film where we see Juan Vargas (who becomes president) being applauded for his emotional speech full of hypocritical national pride aimed to his "fellow" citizens. One of the noteworthy events which might have influenced the director Luis Estrada, could have been the national elections of 2000 which incremented his desire to portray the longed for change in Mexico.

With the sardonic tone of a political cartoon, Luis Estrada skillfullypresents government the way you know it works: standing onscandal, bribes, brutality and general treachery. Herod's Law is setat ground zero of political corruption, Mexico's revolutionary party,PRI. Herod's Law is an excellent balance of farce and bite. LuisEstrada frames excellent performances from his cast. DamianAlcazar provides a superb performance as the hapless, dutifulmember of the PRI thrown into a leadership position and is slowlyinfected with power and all the neurosis and paranoia symptomatic of a whetted appetite. The story is excellent, thenarrative arc is well-crafted, and performances outstanding. It istrue, however, that the film fails to introduce anything novel.However these are all considered trademarks in the politicalcartoon business. The film deals solely with establishedarchetypes, it doesn't introduce new concepts or engage with anyunfamiliar issue. It does little beyond reinforcing stereotypes andconfirming preconceived notions. However, the art of the politicalcartoon is the playfulness with which the cartoonist employs thesearch characters. Herod's strength is the playfully exaggeratedtreatment of the subject. The posture is almost vaudevillesque inits rhythm. The tone perfectly describes the whirlwind madnessthat envelopes a man as he descends from idealist to practicingpolitician.For more foreign film news, reviews and interviews check outwww.au-cinema.com

A most surreal movie, but VERY real, indeed. It depicts the sad political system in Mexico with lost of humor and excellent actors. I felt like crying and laughing all the time, a memorable piece worth the no-so-good photography. Hilarious ending.