SICARIO
Roger Deakins
Easily one of the best cinematographers of all time, it will never make sense that Roger Deakins has still never won an Academy Award for his work even after being nominated thirteen times. Stepping into “Sicario,” I did not know that it was Roger Deakins behind the camera, but within the first ten minutes of the film, I felt like it was his work and when the credits rolled and his name popped up, that hunch was solidified. Deakins, as even expressed in the interview above, shoots close to his characters, in documentary style, and that has always shown in his work and made a huge impact on his films. “Sicario” feels like a much more epic film with Deakins behind it and even though he hasn’t won, there’s a reason he’s been nominated so many times. One of my favorite shots in “Sicario” is both literally and figuratively a group of men and our lead female descending into darkness. The way these figures disappear down into the dark and then the way the landscape is completely calm with the silhouettes completely engulfed, there’s something poetic about this image that could have been easily changed to be less meaningful in so many different ways. What Deakins has is a gift not shared by 99% of the cinematographers working today.
Who’s his competition? One man that does share that gift with Deakins, however, is his main competition in this category; Emmanuel Lubezki. Whereas Deakins has never won, Lubezki has won the last two years in a row and could pull off yet another win for his work on “The Revenant,” which he would rightfully deserve. But never count out the fact that Deakins has never won and people could be looking to reward him, finally. Chances are this man is going to receive a Lifetime Achievement award at some point before he’s done, so I am not too concerned with his lack of wins. In my opinion, Lubezki does deserve the win this year. His work was stronger and made “The Revenant” a completely different adventure. So for that, even though Deakins is my favorite, I believe Lubezki will likely pick up his third win this year.
Previous nominations? This is the thirteenth Academy Award nomination for Roger Deakins. He was previously nominated for:
- UNBROKEN (2014)
Nominee, Cinematography - PRISONERS (2013)
Nominee, Cinematography - SKYFALL (2012)
Nominee, Cinematography - TRUE GRIT (2010)
Nominee, Cinematography - THE READER (2008)
Nominee, Cinematography - THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007)
Nominee, Cinematography - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
Nominee, Cinematography - THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (2001)
Nominee, Cinematography - O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000)
Nominee, Cinematography - KUNDUN (1997)
Nominee, Cinematography - FARGO (1996)
Nominee, Cinematography - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
Nominee, Cinematography
// Produced by Basil Iwanyk, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Edward McDonnell, and Molly Smith // Directed by Denis Villeneuve //
// Dated Viewed: Saturday, January 30th, 2016 // BLU-RAY // 22 films – 30 days //
