Herod's Law (La ley de Herodes) takes its name from an expression used a number of times by the Mexican characters: the "law" could be loosely translated as "one way or another, you'll get screwed." (The literal translation would be a bit more, shall we say, colorful.) At first, it's an oddly dark reference in a film that seems to be a light comedy about a naive and honest man who is recruited to be the new mayor of a tiny rural town... while behind closed doors, the governor sees him as being the only one dumb enough to take the job and also not cause any trouble. So Juan Vargas and his wife head out to the town with high hopes of bringing "modernity, peace, and justice" to the people, only to find that honesty, authority, and effectiveness seem to slip between his fingers.

Herod's Law is an odd film, one that breaks down genre conventions and steps all over them. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and the transition from light-hearted comedy to black nihilism is certainly original; however, I'm not sure that the amalgamation of these two styles in one film is completely successful here. The good-natured humor of the first part of Herod's Law is based on the "fish out of water" situation that Vargas finds himself in: he's eager to do a good job as mayor, but he's faced with apathy from most of the townsfolk, a lack of resources, and an entrenched tradition of governmental corruption. From here, the film could go in several different directions: does the honest man gradually overcome the obstacles he's faced with, or is he himself overcome?

As it turns out, Herod's Law takes a steadily darker and darker turn. However, there's very little gray area between the light and dark aspects of the film, and this ends up undermining the effectiveness of the shift. Vargas starts out as a likable innocent, a character whom we can root for; based on what we're shown of him at the start of the film, he seems like the kind of character who might get in over his head and make things worse for himself, but with only good intentions. What we get, though, is a fairly abrupt shift in his character, marked by his eventual accommodation with the owner of the local brothel: his decision in this situation seems distinctly out of character. After that, it's as if we're watching a different Vargas entirely, with actions that seem poorly motivated.

In the end, Herod's Law does manage to go in an unexpected direction with the story, and it has a distinctive and bleak message about politics and corruption. Still, it's a film that could have been much more effective if it hadn't gone quite so much over the top.

Visually, Herod's Law is quite interesting. The setting has a strangely surreal look to it, from the bizarre cacti growing on the hillsides, to the barrenness and emptiness of the town. One peculiar touch is that the sky and the vista of hills in the background both look fake: the clouds, for instance, look very static. It's peculiar but it works well with the overall surreal tone of the film.

The DVD

Video

Herod's Law appears in a nicely done anamorphic widescreen transfer, at the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The print is clean and sharp, with minimal edge enhancement and a nice level of detail; contrast could have been a little bit better in some scenes, but overall the picture looks very good. The film's color palette focuses on browns and blacks; these, and the skin tones, look natural and rich.

Optional English and Spanish subtitles are included.

Audio

The Spanish Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is reasonably good, offering a clean listening experience that balances dialogue and music in a satisfactory manner. Overall, the film provides a solid listening experience.

Extras

Herod's Law has a trailer for Lucia Lucia, and for the Cinema Latino series; there are no other special features.

Final thoughts

Herod's Law is an interesting and distinctive film, but one that I'm more inclined to suggest as a solid rental choice than a purchase, because its pieces don't quite fit together to make a good a film as it tries to be. In any case, viewers will be pleased with the high-quality transfer, with optional subtitles and an anamorphic widescreen presentation. Rent it.