This has been one of the most competitive and intense years for the Oscars in a long while. The best picture race is close with contenders Gravity and 12 Years a Slave both having strong momentum going into the final days before the biggest night in film. Along with the best picture competition, the race for best actor has been heating up in the home stretch.
The nominations for best actor in a motion picture include, Christian Bale for American Hustle, Bruce Dern for Nebraska, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street, Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave and finally Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club. This competition is tough to say the least but the standouts include, McConaughey, Ejiofor and DiCaprio.
When looking at overall work, DiCaprio deserved an Oscar long ago. He is without a doubt one of the most talented actors that have graced the silver screen in years and when he works with Martin Scorsese the result is astounding. His work in the Departed and in the most recent Wolf of Wall Street prove that DiCaprio takes on these characters and becomes the role.
From Titanic to the Wolf of Wall Street it is without a doubt that DiCaprio is an actor that is at the level of other best actor winners.
Even in films like, Gatsby that did not receive the most critical praise showed that DiCaprio embodies each element of a character. Fans could only see Gatsby, DiCaprio was nowhere to be found in that performance, very similar to his portrayal of Jason Belfort.
The question has to be asked, will DiCaprio win the Oscar? Odds are no. McConaughey and Ejiofor also delivered performances that will not soon be forgotten and it appears that the race is coming down to these two actors but DiCaprio deserves to win for the type of actor and energy that he put into the role of Jordan Belfort.
Even though DiCaprio might not be king of the Oscars, he is still king of the world.
image: Wikimedia Commons
