The Player (1953 film)

The Player (Spanish: El jugador) is a 1953 Mexican crime film directed by Vicente Oroná and starring David Silva, Carmelita González and Aurora Segura.^[1][2]

Alberto Maciel is a prosperous and respected businessman in 1950s Mexico City who appears to have everything a man could want - a thriving enterprise, social standing, and the unwavering devotion of Alicia Ramírez, known affectionately as Licha. The daughter of the traditional Don Gervasio, Licha represents stability and genuine love in Alberto's life. However, beneath his successful exterior lies a fatal weakness that will ultimately consume him: an uncontrollable addiction to gambling.

What begins as occasional visits to gambling houses soon escalates into a dangerous obsession. Alberto finds himself irresistibly drawn to card games, dice, and other games of chance, seeking the intoxicating rush that only high-stakes betting can provide. The thrill of risk becomes more important to him than the security of his business or the comfort of his relationships. As his gambling intensifies, Alberto begins to frequent increasingly seedy establishments, rubbing shoulders with professional gamblers, loan sharks, and other denizens of Mexico City's criminal underworld.

His transformation does not go unnoticed. Licha, supported by her protective mother Doña Eduviges, watches in growing alarm as the man she loves changes before her eyes. She pleads with Alberto to abandon his destructive habit, but her appeals fall on deaf ears. Adding to the tension is the appearance of Yolanda, a sophisticated and alluring woman who embodies the glamorous yet dangerous world of gambling. Married but unhappy, Yolanda becomes both a symbol of Alberto's desires and a catalyst for his downfall, representing everything that pulls him away from the wholesome life Licha offers.

As Alberto's debts mount, he becomes entangled with Francisco Martínez, a dangerous figure connected to illegal gambling operations. Francisco's wife Hortensia watches nervously as her husband becomes increasingly involved with Alberto's spiraling situation. The businessman finds himself borrowing money not just from legitimate sources but from shadowy creditors who demand payment through intimidation and violence. His loyal employee tries to warn him about the precarious state of his business, but Alberto is too consumed by his next potential win to heed the warnings.

Don Genaro, a figure of authority and wisdom, attempts to intervene, recognizing the destruction that Alberto's addiction is bringing not only to himself but to his beloved daughter Licha. Meanwhile, Víctor, Alberto's closest friend, makes increasingly desperate attempts to pull him back from the brink, but their friendship becomes strained as Alberto's priorities shift entirely toward feeding his gambling compulsion.

The situation reaches a critical point when Alberto's business begins to suffer irreparable damage. Employees go unpaid, creditors circle like vultures, and his professional reputation crumbles. The police, represented by an investigating agent, begin to take interest in Alberto's activities and associations. His gambling debts have grown so enormous that he can no longer hide them, and the dangerous men he owes money to lose patience with his promises and excuses.

In a desperate attempt to win back everything he has lost, Alberto stakes what remains of his business and personal assets on one final, catastrophic gamble. The gambling house becomes the stage for a climactic confrontation where Alberto must face not only his creditors but the full weight of his choices. As the cards are dealt and the dice rolled for the last time, Alberto's fate - and that of everyone who has tried to save him - hangs in the balance.

The film builds to a dramatic resolution that forces Alberto to confront the devastating consequences of his addiction. Whether he can find redemption and reclaim the love he has thrown away, or whether he will be consumed entirely by the very vice that once thrilled him, becomes the central question as his world collapses around him.

• María Luisa Amador. Cartelera cinematográfica, 1950-1959. UNAM, 1985.

• The Player at IMDb