Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time

Matt Damon is among the most well-known actors of our generation, and he is mostly known for his super-spy role, Jason Bourne, who had lethal combat skills. The American actor’s prolific career has led TechTrends to make a list of the best Matt Damon movies of all time.

Matt Damon rose to fame in a fascinating way as he made his own success when he and his friend Ben Affleck co-wrote an amazing screenplay. The script turned out to be “Good Will Hunting”, earning both these actors an Oscar for best screenplay, and their careers began to rise. Damon is one of the 40 top-grossing actors ever, but he started in high school theater, with his first professional acting break coming in the 1988 movie Mystic Pizza. The outstanding actor has long been doing charitable works like participating in One Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, as well as other organizations.

During his successful career, he received many awards, such as Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and others. TechTrends made a list of the best must see Matt Damon performances that we highly recommend if you are a fan. If you are not, watch it still as you might very well become one.

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time

Matt Damon has established himself as one of the most recognizable and sought-after actors of his time. Aside from acting, he also has written, produced, and helped develop projects, winning an Oscar for screenwriting after the release of “Good Will Hunting.” Here are the best Matt Damon movies of all time. The list is written in reverse chronological order.

The Last Duel 2021

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time
Source: baltimoremagazine.com
  • Genre: Drama/Action
  • Director: Ridley Scott
  • Star: Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck, Alex Lawther, Caoimhe O’Malley
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 85%, IMDb 7.4

Following their success in co-writing Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have worked together on a few more movies. However, their writing together only happened after two decades in 2021. The Movie Last Duel is one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time. The movie focuses on a special event through three characters: Sir Jean de Carrouges (Damon), Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), and Carrouges’ wife Marguerite (Jodie Comer). The event is a sexual assault, with Carrouges going back home to his wife and then accusing his friend Le Gris of assaulting her.

Damon’s characters mostly have a great sense of morals, and his role in The Last Duel is no different. However, this one is a little more complex than his other roles. He showcases his astonishing talent as an actor, and his gifts as a writer.

Read more: Best Johnny Depp Movies of All Time

Ford v Ferrari 2019

  • Genre: Drama/Sport
  • Director: James Mangold
  • Star: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 8.1

Another one of Matt Damon greatest movie roles is in the movie Ford v Ferrari, also known as Le Mans ’66. The movie shows very thrilling racing scenes with a great story of beating the odds by overcoming serious adversity. Matt Damon plays the role of Carroll Shelby, who is a racecar driver and works with Ford in order to design the perfect car for competing in a grueling race. The race is the 1966 Le Mans race, which is a 24-hour race that needs great endurance and a fascinating driver to match Ken Miles, portrayed by Christian Bale. Exhausted at always losing to Ferrari, Miles and Shelby’s combination might bring Ford what they have long been waiting for.

Read more: Best Natalie Portman Movies of All Time

The Martian 2015

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time
Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
  • Director: Ridley Scott
  • Star: Matt Damon, Mackenzie Davis, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Naomi Scott, Donald Glover
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 91%, IMDb 8

The Martian is another one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time. He plays the role of astronaut Mark Watney in this distant future. Watney and his team are on Mars for an expedition, and because of the dust storm, the crew had to evacuate. Then, Watney is left behind due to the situation under the crew’s control. With nothing to be done, Watney is presumed dead. However, he actually survived, and he has to depend on his knowledge to keep going on Mars. It all happens as a group of extraordinary scientists work together to find a mission to bring him back before he runs out of time. Although the blue-eyed actor has had many starring roles, in the movie The Martian, he gets a lot of screen time, which is not a surprise as he is alone on Mars. Moreover, his performance was charismatic as always.

Behind the Candelabra 2013

  • Genre: Romance/Drama
  • Director: Steven Soderbergh
  • Star: Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Liberace, Rob Lowe, Scott Bakula
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 94%, IMDb 7

Liberace was a musical talent and one of the world’s most dazzling entertainers. Michael Douglas brought him back to life in the movie Behind the Candelabra. The movie shows his personal life at the height of his success when he was in Las Vegas, as well as his relationship with Scott Thorson, played by Matt Damon. The two meet each other through a producer in Hollywood. Thorson becomes his assistant first and then turns to be his live-in boyfriend. Thorson is inspired and attracted by Liberace’s persona and quality as a star, while Liberace is drawn by Thorson’s youth and physique.

When Liberace asks him to do plastic surgery to become the image he desires, Damon’s performance is quite transformative as he portrays a man torn between his love and his desire to keep his own sense of self. This is one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time.

Read more: Best Brad Pitt Movies of All Time

True Grit 2010

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time
Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Western/Drama
  • Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
  • Star: Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, IMDb 7.6

The Coen Brothers have been making a diverse slate of movies in their career, but their decision to remake the classic western “True Grit” was surprising to many. However, their ability to remake, given their successful attempt in 2004 at The Ladykillers, made them quite ready. Their movie was a success as it made $250 million at the box office.

The movie follows the story of 14-year-old Hattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld, who is struggling with the murder of his father. She decides to hire a U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges, who is a man known for his savage reputation, to help her find the people behind her father’s murder. Matt Damon plays the role of Laboeuf, who they meet on their way. He is also after the same outlaw, but his reason is different. Both Bridges and Damon play amazingly in the movie, making it one of the best Matt Damon films ever.

Invictus 2009

  • Genre: Drama/Political Drama
  • Director: Clint Eastwood
  • Stars: Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Tony Kgoroge, Adjoa Andoh, Marguerite Wheatley
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 76%, IMDb 7.3

Invictus is one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time. Morgan Freeman played the role of president Nelson Mandela during his beginning years of the presidency when he attempted to unite the nation through his involvement in the Rugby World Cup in 1995. It is a sports drama showing how a game helped heal the wounds people have suffered following years of apartheid. The title of the movie is after Mandela’s favorite poem by William Ernest Henley. Matt Damon portrays a South African man François Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, which is the South African rugby union team. For his role in the movie Invictus, Damon got nominated for supporting actor at the Oscars.

Read more: Best Morgan Freeman Movies of All Time

The Informant 2009

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time
Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Drama/Comedy
  • Director: Steven Soderbergh
  • Stars: Matt Damon, Eddie Jemison, Lucas McHugh Carroll, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 79%, IMDb 6.5

The Informant is based on a true story written by Kurt Eichenwald, an American journalist. Matt Damon is the star of the movie playing Mark Whitacre, who is a Vice President of a leading lysine developing company ADM. Mark reaches an agreement with the FBI to be their eyes and ears in his own company, to gather evidence on price-fixing that ADM has been a part of. Matt Damon’s fascinating performance in the comic role earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe. This is one of the best Matt Damon movies ever.

The Bourne series (2002, 2004, 2007, 2016)

  • Genre: Action/Thriller
  • Director: Doug Liman, Paul Greengrass

The Bourne Identity 2002

  • Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Chris Cooper
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 84%, IMDb 7.9

Damon’s career was hugely impacted by the character he had in The Bourne Identity. He played the role of Jason Bourne, and it was an iconic one; therefore, it evolved into a franchise. Bourne was near death when he was found and saved from the ocean by an Italian fishing boat. When he wakes up, he realizes that he is suffering from total amnesia. He doesn’t know his identity and background, but he knows how to fight and defend himself. Then, he goes on a path to discover his identity and why he is being chased by assassins. This is indeed one of the best Matt Damon Movies of All Time.

The Bourne Supremacy 2004

  • Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Karl Urban
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 82%, IMDb 7.7

Bourne is living in India when he gets framed for stealing millions from the CIA by Russian agent Kirill, played by Karl Urban. Kirill starts to look for him with the intention of assassinating him. However, when Bourne and his girlfriend, played by Franka Potente, are on the run, a shot that was meant to kill Bourne actually kills her. To get revenge, he decides to prove his innocence and bring justice to the ones at fault.

The Bourne Ultimatum 2007

  • Stars: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine,
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 8

Damon’s character Bourne is a very skilled spy, and in the previous installment, he tries to escape from his former organization, who wants to kill him. Then, he tries to avoid the CIA who are pursuing him while he is trying to find his origin. The movie got three Oscar wins and is quite entertaining. You don’t want to miss it as it is one of the best Matt Damon films of all time.

Jason Bourne 2016

  • Stars: Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles, Vincent Cassel, Tommy Lee Jones
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 54%, IMDb 6.6

After ten years from Jason Bourne walking away from the agency that trained him to be a spy and a skilled and deadly weapon, CIA director Robert Dewey tries to draw him out of the shadows. He hires a hacker named Heather Lee to find where he is. Then, Bourne finds that he is back in action, going against a sinister network that uses terror and technology to keep unchecked power.

The Departed 2006

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time
Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Crime/Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Stars: Matt Damon, Vera Farmiga, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 90%, IMDb 8.5

Another one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time is The Departed, which was directed by one of the world’s best directors, Martin Scorsese, and he won an Oscar for his direction in this movie. The story follows Boston’s Irish Mafia, with Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson, being the boss. He sends one of his best men, Colin Sullivan, portrayed by Matt Damon, to infiltrate the police. What they are not aware of is that the police are also doing the same, with Officer Billy Costigan, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, going into the Mafia. Both organizations then find out that there is a mole amongst them.

Read more: Best Leonardo DiCaprio Movies of All Time

The Talented Mr. Ripley 1998

  • Genre: Crime/Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Stars: Matt Damon, Vera Farmiga, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 90%, IMDb 8.5

The Talented Mr. Ripley is based on the novel written by Patricia Highsmith and showcases one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time. He plays the role of Tom Ripley, who gets approached by wealthy Herbert Greenleaf, played by James Rebhorn, who thinks that Ripley is his son Dickie’s old friend. Greenleaf offers $1,000 to Ripley to go to Italy and find his son. He accepts it, although he has no idea who Dickie is. This is one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time as he portrayed the character in a layered and complicated form.

Saving Private Ryan 1998

  • Genre: War/Drama
  • Director: Steven Spielberg
  • Stars: Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Vin Diesel, Bryan Cranston, Edward Burns
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93%, IMDb 8.6

This amazing war movie tells the tale of soldiers in combat fighting for their lives and fulfilling their duty of finding Private Ryan and honoring their country. By doing that, they also find their own strength. Matt Damon plays the role of Private Ryan quite incredibly, and Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, who is leading the mission of finding Ryan. Saving Private Ryan is one of the best Matt Damon movies of all time.

Read more: Best Chris Hemsworth Movies of All Time

Good Will Hunting 1997

Best Matt Damon Movies of All Time
Source: IMDb.com
  • Genre: Drama/Romance
  • Director: Gus Van Sant
  • Stars: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgard, Minnie Driver
  • Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 98%, IMDb 8.3

One of the best Matt Damon movies you need to watch is Good Will Hunting. The theme of the movie revolves around child abuse consequences that resulted in Will Hunting (Matt Damon) growing up to be arrogant, stubborn, and angry. The main character’s strong defence mechanism can be seen throughout the movie. Despite his brilliance and many chances to thrive, he is filled with fears of failure and loss, unwilling to come out of his shell.

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