Detailed Reviews of the Top Matt Damon Movies

For the past thirty years, Matt Damon has been one of the most recognizible and captivating screen icons. From Academy Awards to forming a production company with his best friend and fellow movie icon Ben Affleck, this guide highlights some of Matt Damon’s most memorable movies in his extensive resume.

Top Matt Damon Movies:

• Goodwill Hunting (1997) – Won an Oscar for best screenplay
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) – The film won multiple Oscars
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) – A dark melodrama
• The Bourne Identity Trilogy – The film series that made Damon an International film star
• Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – Blockbuster remake of the 1960 film

Matt Damon remains incredibly active, especially from his supporting role in the Academy Award winning film Oppenheimer in 2023.

Who Is Matt Damon?

Matt Damon is an American actor and screenwriter who is famous for his outstanding performances and contribution to the film industry. He made his name after co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed movie Good Will Hunting. The movie won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1998. Matt is also known for his outstanding versatility in movies ranging from mind-blowing dramas like Saving Private Ryan and The Departed to a nerve-racking action thriller like The Bourne Identity franchise where he portrayed the role of the charismatic Jason Bourne. His wide range of roles and abilities have made him a Hollywood A-list star.

Matt was born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From a young age, he was a fan of acting and loved movies. His love for the art of storytelling was intensified by his close friendship with another actor, Ben Affleck. Both went to Cambridge Rindge & Latin School where they strengthened their love for writing. Matt pursued an English degree at Harvard University and started working on what would later become the famed Good Will Hunting script. Matt has since been delivering exciting movies for the enjoyment of many. The Martian, Oppenheimer, and Drive-Away Dolls are some of the most notable movies in his recent repertoire.

Top Matt Damon Films

Matt Damon even in his 50s continues to be highly active making films. While we could spend all day discussing Damon’s incredible film accomplishments, we’ll try to highlight the best and most memorable options.

1. Good Will Hunting (1997) – Won Best Oscar for Screenplay

Damon’s breakthrough role was in Good Will Hunting, a film he co-wrote with his best friend Ben Affleck. Released in 1997, the movie featured Damon playing Will Hunting, a gifted janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a mathematical genius. Damon received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the brilliant and troubled janitor and won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He co-wrote the screenplay with his best friend, Ben Affleck, and both received an Oscar for the film. Good Will Hunting received nine Academy Award nominations. Damon became one of the biggest actors in Hollywood and later played a role in Saving Private Ryan directed by Steven Spielberg.

Damon and Affleck wrote the script for Good Will Hunting based on their personal experiences. After the success of Good Will Hunting, Damon became a major Hollywood actor, rising from a hopeful actor to one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He starred in Saving Private Ryan and later other movies that cemented his reputation as one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. His life changed after the release of Good Will Hunting. He was able to star in many movies and become one of the most recognizable characters in the world. One of these roles was Jason Bourne.

2. Jason Bourne Series (2002) – Damon Becomes a Mega Star

The 2002 film The Bourne Identity, which featured Matt Damon playing a secret agent who suffers from amnesia and embarks on a journey to regain his identity while uncovering a CIA conspiracy, marked the beginning of his transition from a dramatic actor to an action star. To prepare for the role, he trained in hand-to-hand combat and took up stunts to make his performance authentic. Damon’s appearance in the film marked the start of a new era in his career as an action star, which came as a surprise to many industry experts back then.

The movie, which received widespread acclaim and performed well at the box office, led to two sequels, The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Both of these films saw Damon reprise his role as Jason Bourne and furthered the storyline of the film, combining a complex plot with fast-paced action.

These films helped establish him as a leading action star in Hollywood and revived the spy genre, giving it a grittier, more realistic twist. It also made Damon a well-known name in the industry and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. He portrayed the role in one more film in 2016 as Jason Bourne, which although received mixed reviews, was a box office hit, a testament to the franchise’s enduring popularity. This franchise gave him the opportunity to take on various roles in different genres and to be a successful action star.

3. Contagion (2011) – A Film with Spooky Coincidences

Contagion may have premiered over ten years ago, but if you saw it, you could swear director Steven Soderbergh saw the lockdown coming from the COVID-19 outbreak. Matt Damon stars as Mitch, whose wife returned from a business trip to Hong Kong only to be diagnosed with a mystery virus that took her and her son’s lives. But there’s one problem: she left behind her husband, Mitch, and it looks like he’s immune to the disease.

With no time to waste, the CDC is in a race against the clock to find a cure to this highly infectious disease that’s taking out hundreds of people. But if you’re not looking for horror movies, Contagion won’t seem like one. But with panic and hysteria filling the scenes and Matt Damon’s impeccable acting skills, the entire movie weaves together well.

4. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – Damon Becomes an A-Lister

If you like the heist genre, then check out Ocean’s Eleven. Ocean’s Eleven is everything you would ever want from a heist movie and has an amazing cast. Ocean’s Eleven stars George Clooney as Danny Ocean, a thief and con man just released from jail. He’s got a job that will make him and his crew rich.

Danny Ocean and his second in command Rusty recruit a team of nine skilled men and plan to rob a vault containing $150 million from three of Las Vegas’ biggest and best casinos near me and you on the Vegas Strip. Is the plan as foolproof as Danny Ocean believes it to be? Ocean’s Eleven is one of the most celebrated heist movies for the brilliant performances by the cast.

If you’re a Matt Damon fan, Ocean’s Eleven is a must-watch. Also, the success of the 2001 remake led to two equally popular and successful sequels.

5. Saving Private Ryan (1998) – An Oscar Winning Machine

Saving Private Ryan Movie is one of those movies that have been in the Top for so many people as they make you feel as if you are in a war. Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) is on a mission to find Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) behind enemy lines along with a team of rangers. The screen time of Matt Damon in the movie is comparatively very low, however, the amount of emotions he portrays in the last 5 minutes of the movie makes the audience feel that he was the main character in the movie, and one that puts Private Ryan into the upper echelon of films. Three years later, Damon’s best friend Affleck, would star in another war-epic, Pearl Harbor.

6. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) – Damon Proves His Acting Chops

The Talented Mr. Ripley is an example of how talented an actor Matt Damon is. He portrays a young man whose “Talents” are impersonation, forgery, and lying. One day he got a job to take the place of a piano player, and while playing, a wealthy shipbuilder Herbert Greenleaf mistakes Ripley for a friend of his son, Dickie who has gone to Italy and refuses to return. He offers Ripley $1000 to go to Italy and persuade his son to come back to America, which he accepts. However, things go wrong between Dickie and Ripley, and the Talented Mr. Ripley is a movie that portrays the versatility Matt Damon has as an actor and also an interesting and intriguing story that will keep you glued to the screen.

Behind-The Scenes: Producing Credits and Key Collaborations

Besides starring on screen, Damon has credits for writing screenplays and other essential behind-the-scene credits. For the latest film, The Accountant 2, starring Ben Affleck, Damon is the executive producer.  Kiss of the Spider, due for release in 2025, also has Damon as the executive producer. Films like Backpack Full of Cash and American Teacher has Damon doing narration.

Frequently Asked Questions about Matt Damon

How did Matt Damon break through Hollywood?

Matt Damon’s big break came in the 1997 film, Goodwill Hunting, starring the late Robin Williams and Ben Affleck. Damon also wrote the screenplay which received an Oscar.

Which are Damon’s biggest films?

You can easily make the case that all the films listed in this article qualify. However, The Bourne Identity Series, The Martian and The Departed are some of Damon’s most notable films.

Which new Matt Damon films should I look out for?

Matt Damon remains busy with the release of his executively produced film, The Accountant 2 and the 2026 release of The Odyssey.

Conclusion

Matt Damon is among the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. His net worth stands at $170 million. Much of this wealth is attributed to the success of the blockbuster movie series, “Jason Bourne”. The franchise has generated over $1.6 billion at the box office. Matt Damon earned $10 million for the first movie and then around $26 million for the sequels. Such a steep increase in his pay reflects his success in converting his growing reputation into bigger box office hits.

Apart from being an actor, Damon has produced movies such as “Manchester by the Sea” which garnered 6 Oscar nominations. He has also ventured into the commercial end of Hollywood by endorsing the likes of Coca Cola and Under Armour. He also rejected an offer to star in “Avatar” directed by James Cameron in 2009. The move signaled his determination to maintain a certain quality over money.

Today, Damon remains busy co-producing films with Ben Affleck. 2026 is slated to be a big year for Matt Damon with the upcoming release of The Odyssey.