What is it about creepy sexy guys?
Paul Muni defines creepy sexy to me in the 1932 version of Scarface. The combination of childish enthusiasm and unbridled confidence often result in a weird sense of playful menace. He's totally unselfconcious. The guy has no idea he's a monster and is just having a ball.
Showing Poppy around his swanky new apartment, Tony asks her how she likes it.
Poppy: Kind of gaudy, isn't it?
Tony Camonte: Ain't it though? Glad you like it.
He puts the moves on his boss's gal the moment he sees her, never stopping to consider what the consequences might be, or even if she seems to want him. His physical drive extends outside of his body surrounding him with a kind of animal charisma that is simultaniously attractive and repellant. You can see its affect on Poppy as she moves toward him and backs off repeatedly.
In real life, guys like Tony either end up with hit TV shows or volitile political careers. I prefer to enjoy them in their fully fictional forms. There's a little bit of Paul Muni's Tony Camonte in my Romeo.
But of course, Romeo has a lot more class.
