Photo: © ANP

The 10 BEST Matt Damon movies of all time

Martin Macdonald - 3 September 2023, 12:06 Share

Photo: © ANP

Matt Damon was just becoming a recognisable name in Hollywood when he won an Academy Award for Good Will Hunting.

Alongside best pal Ben Affleck, the pair won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the 1997 drama.

Exploring the evolution of modern filmmaking - A new era of storytelling

Sunday 6 April 2025, 09:22

Discover the best Dutch films of all time

Friday 28 March 2025, 13:52

From there, Damon became a bonafide A-lister and is one of the highest-grossing movie stars of all time.

Within our MovieMeter community, there are naturally various Damon movies that have received hugely positive responses.

By subscribing to become a member of the MovieMeter community HERE, you can rate all of your favourite movies - and some of your least favourite ones.

According to our community votes, Damon's best movie is Saving Private Ryan, which was released one year after he claimed his Oscar. In second is The Departed, while Interstellar, The Bourne Ultimatum and Good Will Hunting make up the top five.

There are several franchise flicks in the top 10 as the entire Bourne trilogy is represented as well as Ocean's 11.

The most recent movie on the list is Ford v Ferrari.

Matt Damon's best movies

4.11 (8814)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

During the Allied invasion of Normandy, two brothers die. A third brother dies simultaneously in New Guinea, fighting the Japanese. When it becomes known that a fourth brother (Matt Damon) has gone missing in the French countryside, a mission, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is launched to get him home safely.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore and Edward Burns

3.96 (6703)

The Departed (2006)

Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) works for the great and notorious mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and is given the task of infiltrating the Boston Police Department. At the same time, undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) works his way into Costello's world and tries to earn his trust. But what will happen when Sullivan and Costigan's paths cross? What follows is a dangerous cat-and-mouse game as both men struggle to maintain their double lives.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson

3.90 (3993)

Interstellar (2014)

In Earth's near future, the planet is becoming uninhabitable. In order to save humanity, NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey is sent through a wormhole in order to determine which one of three planets is best suited to become the species' new home.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway

3.85 (5178)

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Jason Bourne is the amnesiac spy who is ready for another attempt to learn more about his own identity. After a fatal shooting in Moscow, Bourne travels the world, from several cities in Europe, via Tangier (Morocco) to New York, while being chased by killers from official and less official groups.

Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles and David Strathairn

3.83 (4526)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) works as a janitor at MIT and spends the rest of his days mostly fighting and getting around the law, despite having a genius-level intellect for mathematics. A teacher wants to develop this talent at all costs, but soon notices that Will is quite upset with himself and his environment. The only ones who can help him are Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), a psychologist who admires and tries to understand the young genius, and Skylar (Minnie Driver), a medical student who is in love with Will. Will they be able to bring Will out of his isolation?

Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Stars: Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

3.76 (5407)

The Bourne Identity (2002)

An Italian fishing boat rescues a drowning man (Matt Damon) from the Mediterranean Sea. The man suffers from amnesia and does not know who he is. However, there are two bullets in his back and he soon comes to the conclusion that an attempt was made to kill him. To his own surprise, he masters various fighting techniques, and with the help of Marie (Franka Potente) he sets out in Switzerland in search of his identity. He soon discovers that he was involved in a mysterious plot involving an assassination attempt involving the CIA...

Directed by: Doug Liman
Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente and Chris Cooper

3.71 (1097)

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Film about the true story of car designer Carroll Shelby and race car driver Ken Miles. Together they built a race car for Ford Motor Company to compete with Enzo Ferrari's dominant racing team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Directed by: James Mangold
Stars: Christian Bale, Matt Damon and Jon Bernthal

3.67 (5243)

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Criminal Danny Ocean is finally released after four years in prison. He immediately decides to put his newfound freedom to good use by robbing three casinos in Las Vegas. To accomplish this nearly impossible job, he gathers a large crew of professionals around him. It soon becomes apparent that there is more at stake for Danny than just money: his ex-wife Tess is the new girlfriend of Terry Benedict, the owner of the casinos he wants to rob.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt

3.64 (4323)

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

When a CIA operation is disrupted by a Russian rival - killing two - Jason Bourne is accused. Bourne (Damon) herself lives in a remote village under another name with Marie (Potente). Bourne, who has vowed revenge if someone from his 'past life' contacts him, is forced by recent developments to resume his life as a silent killer...

Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Matt Damon, Joan Allen and Brian Cox

10.

3.59 (2495)

The Martian (2015)

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first humans to set foot on Mars. Now he is sure that he will be the first to die. After a sandstorm, he is left alone. His team thinks he's dead and Mark can't contact Earth to let them know he's still alive. And even if he did succeed, by the time a rescue crew reached him, his life supplies would be long depleted. But the chance that he will die of starvation is small: the damaged machine, the merciless environment or a simple human error are more than likely to kill him.

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain and Chiwetel Ejiofor