It’s hard to pick the five best films of Oscar Winner, Matt Damon. He has been in some of the best films ever made. Granted, he has some misses in his filmography, but that doesn’t damage Damon’s creditability in the slightest. The 52-year-old could be in another Oscar-winning film as he’ll work with Christopher Nolan for the second time in his career.
This list will highlight five Matt Damon’s five best movies. It’s all there, whether he’s a lead, the supporting character, or even just a cameo. Films that the Oscar winner has a credit to will be counted for this list. Matt Damon is one of the best working actors in Hollywood today. So, it should be no surprise that his filmography contains iconic films that still remain relevant in pop culture.
Saving Private Ryan
Steven Spielberg is a brilliant filmmaker. What makes him one of the best names of this generation is the level of diversity in his filmography. Whether it’s The Color Purple, Jaws, West Side Story, or Saving Private Ryan, it’s hard to name one bad Spielberg film. What the Oscar winner does so well in Saving Private Ryan is that he doesn’t just relish in the harsh realities of war.
Spielberg makes sure to focus on the humanity behind the men who put their lives on the line in World War II. Of course, with a stellar cast featuring Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson, and Private Ryan himself, Matt Damon. Everyone was able to elevate Saving Private Ryan into an incredible war film that’s sure to make you laugh, cry, and understand the true hell that these American heroes go through. Needless to say, it was a heartwarming Matt Damon movie.
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind
Matt Damon doesn’t have much presence in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. But that doesn’t stop the film from being any less good. In George Clooney‘s directional debut (and arguably his best film to date), this was Sam Rockwell‘s show, and the Oscar winner knocked it out of the park with ease. The focus on a spy living a double life is nothing new.
However, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind takes it down a different route that sees Rockwell pose as a game show host as a cover-up. It nicely allowed us to understand the duality of Chuck Barris (Rockwell) and how both of his lifestyles eventually clash with one another. This film showcased that Rockwell was meant to be a leading man and the strong potential of Clooney’s work as a director.
The Bourne Ultimatum
Unfortunately, The Bourne franchise hasn’t been able to recover following the tremendous trilogy that ended with The Bourne Ultimatum. Matt Damon is perfect as a spy who’s trying to remember who was before he became an elite CIA assassin. The story is thrilling, but more importantly, the answers finally provided about Mr. Bourne is quite satisfying. The Bourne trilogy managed to perfectly capture the political and social themes of the original novel. It does this without confusing the audience with its deeply layered story. Despite being over 10 years old, the first three films hold up pretty well in modern times.
The Departed
“I’ll get the rat…You just gotta let me do it my way, Frank.” These beautiful words are why this is one of Matt Damon’s best role to date. The symmetry of his character essentially fighting a mirror (or, in this case, Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Billy Costigan) is Martin Scorsese at his finest. This is a rare case of a film with an all-star cast, and each of them is given something meaty to do.
With Sullivan being a double-crossing snake, many had hoped that he would get the bullet treatment at the hands of Billy. Sadly, he didn’t, but the explosive and violent climax was some of the best pieces of cinema of the modern era. Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) putting an end to Sullivan felt right for his character. Even more, it helped finish off a captivating film.
Ford v Ferrari
It’s not surprising that the guy who made Logan and 3:10 to Yuma pulled out a gem here. Though the rivalry between Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) in this Matt Damon movie is certainly fascinating, it’s actually the story outside of the track that really keeps the momentum high in Ford v Ferrari. Bale and Damon have amazing onscreen chemistry, and James Marigold does an excellent job of giving both men dimension. Ford v Ferrari was the surprise hit of 2019, though given the level of talent involved, it shouldn’t have been.
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