ABSTRACT
Tybalt’s slow swagger brings the chaos of Baz Luhrmann’s opening scene in Romeo + Juliet (1996) to a mesmerizing halt. Already established by that point in the film is the unsurprising dichotomy of fair-skinned Montagues and the darker-skinned, more menacing Capulets. Tybalt, though, overshadows all, as he exhibits an unmatched bravado. The slow-moving shots over his person – bedecked in black, with Catholic iconography in full view – create an uneasy tension. He is, in no uncertain terms, a bad hombre. When he finally draws his pistol, he aims it not at the nearby Montagues, but instead at a well-dressed, fair-skinned young boy, whose eyes, the close-up shot makes clear, are as blue as can be. Through this act, Tybalt, played by Columbian American actor John Leguizamo, stands as a threat not only to the white Montagues but – as a Latino – to all white people.
