Herod's Law (1999)

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Herod's Law (1999)

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Herod's Law (1999)

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Talk about incongruities of tone. This Mexican picture–which was released in its homeland nearly four years ago, only to become the center of political controversy because of its criticism of the then-dominant PRI and temporarily withdrawn from circulation–is half Preston Sturges and half Sam Peckinpah. For the first hour “Herod’s Law” is a south-of-the-border satire along the lines of “The Great McGinty,” with a honest doofus named Juan Vargas (Damian Alcazar) named mayor of a penurious town to stifle a scandal, only to be drawn into the corrupt system himself. But at about mid-point the movie grows far darker as the worm turns and proves himself more brutal than any of his predecessors–and, as it turns out, his erstwhile “handlers” higher up in the party. By the close there’s almost as much bloodletting as there was in “Straw Dogs.”

It’s always nice to encounter a picture that aims to be different, and Luis Estrada’s certainly falls into that category. You also have to respect a filmmaker who takes on entrenched political power at considerable personal and professional danger. But “Herod’s Law” is frankly a movie that’s easier to admire than to enjoy. It’s well-made: the dilapidated character of San Pedro de los Saguardos, as it’s called, is nicely conveyed, and Alcazar’s grizzled face and downtrodden appearance mesh with it perfectly. Some of the supporting performers add sharp notes to the narrative, too: Salvador Sanchez makes an appealing milquetoast as Vargas’ timid secretary Pek, and director Alex Cox is slyly subversive as a greedy, lecherous gringo. Other members of the cast are less impressive, coming on too strong: Pedro Armendariz as the ambitious PRI bigwig who appoints Vargas, Guillermo Gil as the greedy village priest, Eduardo Lopez Rojas as the doctor who opposes the PRI, and Isela Vega as the madam whose surliness causes the mayor’s shift in tactics all italicize their parts. (Of course, the characters were always broadly drawn by Sturges, too.)

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But what ultimately makes “Herod’s Law” less bracing than it might have been are its length–by stretching the story out to a full two hours Estrada mutes its impact–and the simple fact that the two halves aren’t smoothly joined. Vargas turns from bumbling poseur to brutal town boss so abruptly that the transformation lacks the credibility that even a satire demands. And in reaching for an over-the-top conclusion, the picture barely stays on the rails.

Still, though it sometimes takes its swipes with a bludgeon rather than a scalpel, “Herod’s Law” has juicy targets–governmental corruption, clerical greed, American exploitation–and it hits more often than it misses. And at a time when the PRI seems to be rising again, it may be even more timely now than when it was originally released.

Studio - Venevision International Films

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It's a miracle that Herod's Law was produced and released in the Mexico of the late '90s. Not a major miracle along the lines of the Virgin of Guadalupe appearing before the peasant Juan Diego; perhaps a minor miracle, more like the likeness of the Virgin's face appearing on a grilled cheese sandwich. The Mexico of 1999 was still ruled with a heavy hammer by the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party)—and Herod's Law takes a very dim view of the PRI.

The PRI created a near-dictatorship in the guise of democracy. Electoral fraud, bribery, and repression were valuable tools that allowed the sitting president to virtually appoint the next president. A candidate not popular with a certain faction of the party might face a sudden scandal, or even die mysteriously.

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Considering the party's history of suppressing dissent, writer and director Luis Estrada took a risk with this project. (The tagline for the movie's release was: "Why don't they want you to see it?") Estrada was apparently helped when the press got wind of the PRI's attempts to block the film, and the recently vulnerable party wanted to avoid claims of censorship. Smoothing that potential scandal over didn't help the PRI, since they were defeated in the 2000 elections by current president Vicente Fox's PAN party.

A social satire set in 1949, Herod's Law maintains the appearance of some distance from present-day Mexico while allowing Estrada to indulge in a harsh critique of corruption in public and personal life.

Lopez, an ambitious party leader, is hoping to be governor in the next election, and must ensure there's no trouble in his back yard. So junkyard operator Juan Vargas, a long-time PRI member, is finally rewarded for his loyalty when he is offered the position of temporary mayor of a small town, San Pedro de los Saguaros. He is chosen after Lopez is told that he's a good man for the job.

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"What do you mean 'a good man,'" Lopez asks his assistant. "That he's stupid," the assistant replies (stupid, or medio pendejo for those who enjoy the flavor of the original Spanish).

An honest if clueless man, Vargas arrives in the very tiny town with his beautiful and more ambitious wife, Gloria. "Don't you realize, here we're important," she consoles him when they realize this collection of shacks, cacti and a smattering of residents—many of whom don't speak Spanish—is their new domain.

He is further distraught to find out that not only have three mayors in five years been killed by irate townspeople, but the last mayor absconded with the town's funds. His mission is to bring modernity and social justice to the town, but with the few pesos left in the vault, he's at a loss how to achieve anything but starvation.

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Inspired by some sage advice from Lopez, Vargas begins to use his "authority" (translation: a large gun and a giant book of federal and state laws) to collect various taxes and fines from the citizens. These bribes (known then and today as la mordita, the little bite) allow him to increase the town's budget. But the sight of all that money makes him forget about little improvements like rebuilding the town's school, or bringing electricity to the area, and he focuses instead on the collection of more and more power, and more and more money.

There are smaller targets for the satire too—the corruption of the priesthood, the importance placed on titles and status, and the disconnect between stated values and actual values, for example. U.S. relations with Mexico take a hit too, embodied in a Gringo who cheats Vargas, collaborates with him in his corruption, and then steals his wife and money.

Herod's Law sheds an interesting light on the corruption issue that has long plagued Mexico, and has not magically disappeared with the election of a new party. The performances are generally wonderful, particularly by Damian Alcazar as Vargas, but the cast is let down by the use of their characters as ideas rather than people.

DVD Verdict

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