Tony Camonte (character)

Antonio "Tony" Camonte is a fictional character and the central character of the 1932 film "Scarface", played by Paul Muni. Tony Camonte is loosely based on real-life gangster Al Capone whose nickname was in fact Scarface.

The character was the basis for the lead character in a 1983 remake.

In the film

When we first see the character he is committing his first murder, killing a rival gangster, Big Louis Costello (Harry J. Vejar) for his boss, Johnny (Osgood Perkins). He is then interrogated by the police in a barbershop alongside his best friend Rinaldo (George Raft). He is arrested, but released due to lack of evidence.

He is then seen in the company of Johnny, who introduces Tony to his girlfriend Poppy (Karen Morley) — who Tony immediately wants for himself. We then find him and his boss taking control of the gang.

Throughout much of the next act, he rises up through the ranks of the mob, and is also in conflict with rival Gaffeny (Boris Karloff).

The film also reveals his strained relationship with his family, who see him for the cheap thug that he is. The one exception is his sister, Francesca (Ann Dvorak), of whom he is insanely overprotective; at a dance, he brutalizes a man who innocently asks her to dance. At the same dance he attempts to take his boss' girlfriend, which leads to an attempt on his life. Once he finds out who ordered the hit, he tells Rinaldo to execute their boss. He then takes the reins as the gang's leader.

Rinaldo and Francesca have been seeing each other behind Tony's back, fearing his jealousy. The fear is justified; When Tony finds out about the romance, he flies into a rage and murders Rinaldo.

In shock over what he has just done, Tony goes back to his apartment — where the police (who intend arrest him for Rinaldo's murder) are waiting for him. Where several of his men have died, his sister suddenly appears looking for blood. She is killed in the crossfire. After seeing his sister die, Tony attempts to surrender, only to run out the open door and get shot down.

Legacy

The character was inducted into American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Villains, coming in at number 44, while the original Scarface was also inducted into a similar list.

Remake

The character was drastically reimagined for the 1983 remake of "Scarface". In this film, the character is renamed Tony Montana, and is recast as a Cuban drug dealer. He is played by Al Pacino.