You know what they say: If at first you don’t succeed try again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

After 14 different nominations, Roger Deakins finally did it. He finally overcame his reputation as the Susan Lucci of the Academy Awards and won an Oscar. Deakins’ vivid work on Blade Runner 2049 managed to outdo the mind-boggling imagery of the original Blade Runner, and he was rewarded for that seemingly impossible achievement with his first Academy Award in 14 tries. Deakins was previously nominated for (in chronological order) The Shawshank RedemptionFargoKundunO Brother, Where Art Thou?The Man Who Wasn’t ThereNo Country For Old MenThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert FordThe ReaderTrue GritSkyfall, PrisonersUnbroken, and Sicario. That’s a remarkable body of work; it’s shocking he never won until now. Better late than never!

Taking home the Oscar in 2018 meant he had to defeat Darkest Hour’s Bruno Delbonnel, Mudbound’s Rachel Morrison, The Shape of Water’s Dan Laustsen, and my predicted winner (oops), Dunkirk’s Hoyte Van Hoytema. That’s a worthy batch of nominees, but this year, at last, Deakins could not be denied. Anyone who saw Blade Runner 2049 knows exactly why.

Gallery - The Complete History of Oscar Best Picture Winners:

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