# La Ley de Herodes
**La ley de Herodes** (English title: *Herod's Law*) is a 1999 Mexican black-comedy feature film directed by Luis Estrada that satirizes corruption within Mexico's long-ruling [Institutional Revolutionary Party](https://www.edgepedia.org/institutional-revolutionary-party) (PRI). Set in 1949 in the fictional desert town of San Pedro de los Saguaros, it follows a naive local PRI militant, [Juan Vargas](https://www.edgepedia.org/juan-vargas), who is appointed interim mayor and gradually becomes the kind of corrupt tyrant he replaced. The film was the first Mexican feature to criticize the PRI by name on screen, and its release became the center of a national censorship scandal months before the 2000 presidential election, in which the PRI lost the presidency after seven decades in power.[1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-07-ca-6091-story.html) • [3](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/polemico-estreno-en-mexico/64HMLMRNIBCX7F3Y7RJAJ4FEGI/story/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Production | Mexican feature, 2000 production year listed by the Ministry of Culture registry, 120 minutes, 35 mm; directed and produced by Luis Estrada with Sandra Solares[1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275) |
| Screenplay | Vicente Leñero, credited with Luis Estrada, Jaime Sampietro, and Fernando León[1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275) • [4](https://www.salvadorparra.com.mx/movies/la-ley-de-herodes) |
| Cast | Damián Alcázar as Juan Vargas, with Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Leticia Huijara, Isela Vega, and Delia Casanova[4](https://www.salvadorparra.com.mx/movies/la-ley-de-herodes) • [5](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/) |
| Budget | Nearly 1.5 million dollars, partly financed by the state film institute IMCINE[6](https://www.ipsnews.net/1999/12/arts-entertainment-cinema-mexico-film-maker-wins-censorship-battle/) |
| Censorship battle | Withdrawn from the IV Festival de Cine Francés in Acapulco in November 1999; released December 3, 1999 in only two theaters without advertising[3](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/polemico-estreno-en-mexico/64HMLMRNIBCX7F3Y7RJAJ4FEGI/story/) • [7](https://diccionariodedirectoresdelcinemexicano.com/antologia-peliculas/pelicula-la-ley-de-herodes-luis-estrada-1999/) |
| Box office | One million spectators and 25 million pesos in the first four weeks of national release[8](https://www.jornada.com.mx/2000/03/13/cul2.html) |
| Awards | Ten Ariel awards in 2000, including best picture, best director, and best actor[9](https://www.jornada.com.mx/2000/07/25/042n1gen.html) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The story is set in 1949, during the presidency of Miguel Alemán. In San Pedro de los Saguaros, an impoverished town whose inhabitants are mostly indigenous, the corrupt municipal president is lynched and decapitated after trying to flee with public money. Because elections are approaching and the state governor fears a scandal, the secretary of government, Licenciado López, names Juan Vargas, a former PRI militant working at a garbage dump, as interim mayor until the next election.[4](https://www.salvadorparra.com.mx/movies/la-ley-de-herodes) • [5](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/)
Vargas takes office intending to pursue social justice, but he finds that real authority in the town rests with the church and the brothel. Armed with a pistol and the Constitution, he discovers the pleasures of power and corruption and is transformed into a tyrant willing to do anything to stay in office, in the end running for national Congress and winning. The film's stated moral, as Estrada summarized it, is that corruption pays.[1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275) • [10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/12/09/letter-from-mexico/94fd778c-fd65-4c93-8b74-b0f53b029a35/)
The title refers to a Mexican proverb, "o te chingas o te jodes", meaning roughly that whatever you do, you are trapped; reviewers note it is a phrase used frequently in Mexican politics.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_ley_de_herodes) Although the events are fictional, the film draws extensively on references to the Alemán sexenio and the modernization politics of the PRI in that era.[12](https://tesiunamdocumentos.dgb.unam.mx/pd2006/0603232/0603232.pdf)
## Production
Estrada conceived the project in December 1994, after reading about another peso devaluation and watching his own money lose value overnight, and decided to make a film about the folly and corruption of the ruling party.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-07-ca-6091-story.html) The script circulated under the earlier title *La ley y la pistola*; actor Jesús Ochoa, for whom the lead was originally written, dropped out for a telenovela, and the part went to [Damián Alcázar](https://www.edgepedia.org/damian-alcazar), who had worked with Estrada on *Ámbar* and *Bandidos*. The project had been rejected three times by IMCINE before obtaining financing.[13](https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/la-ley-de-herodes-la-pelicula-que-aguanto-sobornos-y-presiones/)
Filming began in October 1998 in Zapotitlán Salinas, Puebla, near the Oaxaca border, with additional locations in Puebla and Mexico City.[13](https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/la-ley-de-herodes-la-pelicula-que-aguanto-sobornos-y-presiones/) • [14](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/secretos/) Production companies were Altavista Films, Bandidos Films, Nuvisión, and IMCINE, the government film institute, so the state financed roughly half of a film attacking the party it served.[1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275) • [7](https://diccionariodedirectoresdelcinemexicano.com/antologia-peliculas/pelicula-la-ley-de-herodes-luis-estrada-1999/)
The film deliberately invokes the Golden Age of Mexican cinema: it recovers the comic figure of Germán Valdés (Tin Tan) and echoes the imagery of director Emilio "El Indio" Fernández and cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa; when the American character meets Vargas he gives his name as "Emilio Gabriel Fernández Figueroa" in their memory.[14](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/secretos/) • [15](https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/QMU/TC-QMU-4209.pdf)
## The censorship conflict
From the start of filming the government was unhappy with a project that presented a damaging image of the ruling party. In November 1999, IMCINE director Eduardo Amerena announced the withdrawal of the film from the IV Festival de Cine Francés in Acapulco, arguing that the ending had been changed; Estrada replied that Amerena knew of all changes and had seen the finished film. After protests from the cast and public pressure, the film was shown at the festival.[14](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/secretos/) • [7](https://diccionariodedirectoresdelcinemexicano.com/antologia-peliculas/pelicula-la-ley-de-herodes-luis-estrada-1999/)
The commercial release was then sabotaged, according to wide sectors of the film community. On December 3, 1999, IMCINE opened the film in two Mexico City theaters with no advertising, erroneous newspaper listings, and screenings interrupted several times without notice; a second theater projected an out-of-focus copy, and a Sunday screening was canceled while patrons waited in line. Mexican law required major works to run at least 15 days, but the film was scheduled for one week.[7](https://diccionariodedirectoresdelcinemexicano.com/antologia-peliculas/pelicula-la-ley-de-herodes-luis-estrada-1999/) • [6](https://www.ipsnews.net/1999/12/arts-entertainment-cinema-mexico-film-maker-wins-censorship-battle/) • [10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/12/09/letter-from-mexico/94fd778c-fd65-4c93-8b74-b0f53b029a35/)
IMCINE production chief Gustavo Montiel resigned, accusing Amerena of "censorship and piracy" against cinematic art. Rafael Tovar, president of the National Culture and Arts Council, asked for Amerena's resignation, saying his decisions were erroneous and the institute's conduct erratic. The council then offered the producers a low-interest loan to buy out the government's financial contribution, and Estrada paid 85,000 dollars to the state institute to regain the rights, associating with Bandidos Films and Artecinema to secure publicity and mass distribution.[6](https://www.ipsnews.net/1999/12/arts-entertainment-cinema-mexico-film-maker-wins-censorship-battle/) • [10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/12/09/letter-from-mexico/94fd778c-fd65-4c93-8b74-b0f53b029a35/) • [15](https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/QMU/TC-QMU-4209.pdf)
The aborted censorship attempt worked in the film's favor: the controversy, together with the advertising slogan "¿Por qué no quieren que la veas?" ("Why don't they want you to see it?"), drew audiences to the national release in February 2000.[15](https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/QMU/TC-QMU-4209.pdf) • [3](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/polemico-estreno-en-mexico/64HMLMRNIBCX7F3Y7RJAJ4FEGI/story/)
## Reception and significance
The film was a box-office success, seen by one million people and grossing 25 million pesos in its first four weeks.[8](https://www.jornada.com.mx/2000/03/13/cul2.html) At the XLII Ariel ceremony of the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences in July 2000, it won ten awards from fourteen nominations, including best picture, best director for Estrada, best actor for Alcázar, best original screenplay, and acting awards for Isela Vega and Pedro Armendáriz Jr., surpassing the commercially successful *Sexo, pudor y lágrimas*.[9](https://www.jornada.com.mx/2000/07/25/042n1gen.html) • [16](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/ley-de-herodes-vencedora/HOYFZ2JKJJBHRB2GFCNJT2DT2U/story/) • [1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275) It also received awards at the [Viña del Mar](https://www.edgepedia.org/vina-del-mar) and Cinemafest Puerto Rico festivals.[1](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275)
Its political significance came from breaking a taboo. Earlier Mexican films critical of the government generally avoided partisan references, showing "the crime but not the culprit"; *La ley de Herodes* was the first Mexican film to name the PRI and display its logo, and, per one account, the first to criticize both major parties, the PRI and the PAN, openly and directly.[7](https://diccionariodedirectoresdelcinemexicano.com/antologia-peliculas/pelicula-la-ley-de-herodes-luis-estrada-1999/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-07-ca-6091-story.html) • [17](https://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/cultura/2516.html) A scholar of Mexican public office later described it as the starting point for films and television dealing openly with graft, and it entered the national political debate, with newspapers inviting party representatives to discuss it.[18](https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/centres/ehrc/research/previous_research/constructionspublicoffice/mexico/scenarios/paxman_-_evolving_expectations_of_public_office_in_mexico.pdf) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-07-ca-6091-story.html)
Critics were divided on its execution. Rotten Tomatoes records a 68% Tomatometer rating, with a critics' consensus calling it "a biting, if heavy-handed, political satire" anchored by Alcázar's performance; RogerEbert.com found it bold and passionate but not subtle, using its characters as symbols rather than complex human beings.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_ley_de_herodes) • [19](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/criticas-prensa/)
The film opened Estrada's sequence of political satires, followed by *Un mundo maravilloso* (2006), *El infierno* (2010), and *La dictadura perfecta* (2014), an unofficial series examining corruption, inequality, violence, and media power in Mexico.[14](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/secretos/) • [20](https://elojoquepiensa.cucsh.udg.mx/index.php/elojoquepiensa/article/view/56)
## References
1. [La ley de Herodes, Sistema de Información Cultural, Secretaría de Cultura](https://sic.cultura.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=produccion_cine&table_id=4275)
2. [Mexico's Government Becomes the Reluctant Star of the Show, Los Angeles Times, March 7, 2000](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-mar-07-ca-6091-story.html)
3. [Polémico estreno en México, La Nación, February 20, 2000](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/polemico-estreno-en-mexico/64HMLMRNIBCX7F3Y7RJAJ4FEGI/story/)
4. [La ley de Herodes, Salvador Parra (production designer) film page](https://www.salvadorparra.com.mx/movies/la-ley-de-herodes)
5. [La ley de Herodes, Película 1999, SensaCine México](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/)
6. [Film Maker Wins Censorship Battle, Inter Press Service, December 14, 1999](https://www.ipsnews.net/1999/12/arts-entertainment-cinema-mexico-film-maker-wins-censorship-battle/)
7. [La ley de Herodes (Luis Estrada, 1999), Diccionario de Directores del Cine Mexicano](https://diccionariodedirectoresdelcinemexicano.com/antologia-peliculas/pelicula-la-ley-de-herodes-luis-estrada-1999/)
8. [Cul2, La Jornada, March 13, 2000](https://www.jornada.com.mx/2000/03/13/cul2.html)
9. [Ariel awards report, La Jornada, July 25, 2000](https://www.jornada.com.mx/2000/07/25/042n1gen.html)
10. [Letter From Mexico: Ruling Party Finds Itself In Reel Trouble, The Washington Post, December 8, 1999](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/12/09/letter-from-mexico/94fd778c-fd65-4c93-8b74-b0f53b029a35/)
11. [Herod's Law, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_ley_de_herodes)
12. [Solórzano Saldívar, Ana Laura (2006). La ley de Herodes: un retrato del poder en México. UNAM thesis](https://tesiunamdocumentos.dgb.unam.mx/pd2006/0603232/0603232.pdf)
13. [A 20 años del estreno de "La ley de Herodes", El Universal, February 18, 2020](https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/la-ley-de-herodes-la-pelicula-que-aguanto-sobornos-y-presiones/)
14. [Anécdotas de la película La ley de Herodes, SensaCine México](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/secretos/)
15. [La ley de Herodes: repetición política y reciclaje cinematográfico, Université de Montréal thesis](https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/QMU/TC-QMU-4209.pdf)
16. [Ley de Herodes, vencedora, La Nación, July 28, 2000](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/ley-de-herodes-vencedora/HOYFZ2JKJJBHRB2GFCNJT2DT2U/story/)
17. [La censura en el cine nacional, más presente que nunca, El Universal, December 30, 1999](https://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/cultura/2516.html)
18. [Paxman, Andrew. Evolving Expectations of Public Office in Mexico: 1920–Present, University of Warwick](https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/centres/ehrc/research/previous_research/constructionspublicoffice/mexico/scenarios/paxman_-_evolving_expectations_of_public_office_in_mexico.pdf)
19. [Críticas de prensa para la película La ley de Herodes, SensaCine México](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/peliculas/pelicula-27235/criticas-prensa/)
20. [Pueblo chico, infierno grande, El ojo que piensa, Revista de cine iberoamericano](https://elojoquepiensa.cucsh.udg.mx/index.php/elojoquepiensa/article/view/56)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Black comedy and satire films › Released 1998 to 2024*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license