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We don't even care that the Academy hasn't seen fit to hand him an Oscar yet (even after thirteen nominations) -- the images he's crafted have painted the insides of several generation's worth of skulls, and that's a prize in itself. I mean, can you imagine? The way everyone, literally everyone, sees the world now has in some way shape or form been shaped and formed by the place you pointed the camera. That's something!
Anyway to celebrate Mr. Deakins today we're picking Five Of Our Favorite Movies That He's Shot. One stipulation: we're choosing five films made by different directors -- this list could be a list of all his collaborations with the Coens and still be a perfect list, but we wanna spread the wealth. Here goes!
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (dir. Andrew Dominik) -- If this movie was the only credit on any person's resume, that person would be a legend. One of the greatest achievements in the movies, ever. Terence Malick wishes.
Kundun (dir. Martin Scorsese) -- I probably haven't seen Kundun in fifteen years and yet I can remember the surfaces of a temple's wooden beams and the koi swimming like it was yesterday.
Sicario (dir. Denis Villeneuve) -- I had issues with the writing of Sicario (I really did not like the last act at all) but Deakins' visuals were searing sand-blasted stuff.
A Serious Man (dir. Coens) -- I had to include one Coens movie obviously, and I mean it could've gone to any of them, but I still feel like ASM is woefully underrated; it very well might be my favorite Coens movie not named Fargo. (Fargo will never ever ever lose the top spot, not ever.) And there images in ASM that I can close my eyes right this second and conjure up with shocking immediacy.
So what's your favorite Deakins joint?
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