Matt Damon is among the most famous actors of his generation, and that’s almost entirely due to the roles featured in this list. These titles accrued billions of dollars in total at the box office, and the actor at hand received a couple of nominations at the Academy Awards for Best Actor for his work therein.
These are endlessly famous films, all directed by massive names of the industry save for one or two. Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, and Ridley Scott all directed Damon in the titles on this list, and that’s just to name a few. All that said, this is every movie where Matt Damon plays the titular character, ranked.
13 The Brothers Grimm
Even hardcore fans of Matt Damon struggle to sit through The Brothers Grimm (2005), which was evident in its numbers of success. It holds a meager approval rating of 38% on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes, and it came up short in theaters. Those statistics are justified, with only the cast and crew to blame.
The product feels uninspired around every corner of its plot, with its characters and dialogue simply there to facilitate an engrossing visual style. Of course, a film needs more than shot value and impressive visual effects to hit home with audiences on an emotional basis. And for completely disregarding that fact, The Brothers Grimm lands at the start of the list.
12 Jason Bourne (2016)
For some fans, this famous action franchise could very well have popped into your head upon reading the title of this list. But his final film appearance as the titular action icon in Jason Bourne (2016) received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and with fairly good reason.
The franchise had definitely run its course at this point, with this being Damon’s fourth appearance and the fifth installment overall. Jeremy Renner took over for The Bourne Legacy (2012) to middling reception from fans and critics alike, and this most recent entry in the franchise didn’t improve on anything from a qualitative perspective. Sure, its action scenes make for enticing eye candy, but the series needed more than simple spectacles to hit home with any sort of emotion. It lands here at number twelve.
11 The Good Shepherd (2006)
Universal Pictures
Following A Bronx Tale (1993), this was the second directorial outing of famous American actor Robert De Niro. And although The Good Shepherd (2006) without a doubt paled in comparison overall, praise was given by critics to Damon’s performance as Edward Wilson Sr.
The plot follows his protagonist — based loosely on both James Jesus Angleton, a chief of counterintelligence for the CIA, and Richard Bissell, a covert operations specialist — after the Bay of Pigs invasion as counterintelligence within the CIA is born. The project was criticized for its historical inaccuracies and unstructured plot. But in the end, it’s not the worst film you’ll read about today, landing here at number eleven.
10 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Although it received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, this western excursion from DreamWorks still goes down as a trifle underrated all these years later. It’s fallen by the wayside of DreamWorks projects, and was undoubtedly overshadowed by the popularity of Pixar and Disney at the time of release.
But Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) nonetheless boasts its fair share of qualitative elements to write home about. Damon shines in his voice role as Spirit, a Kiger mustang colt who assumes leadership of his herd. It’s a truly gripping tale for children, and while adult audiences may feel a bit underwhelmed with the final product, it still deserves this spot at number ten.
9 The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
It’s hard to overstate the quality of these early entries in the Bourne franchise. And with The Bourne Supremacy (2004), for those who haven’t checked it out, you can rest assured that critics raved about its quality with endlessly justifiable reasoning. Throughout the 2000s, this was among the most valuable properties Hollywood had to offer, and Matt Damon of course was in the titular role.
This entry follows Jason as he finds himself at odds with the CIA regarding a defunct program called Operation Treadstone. But throughout the film, this legendary protagonist of American cinema also attempts to uncover further truths regarding his past, as he suffers from psychogenic amnesia. If you haven’t seen the Bourne movies, there’s no excuse for your actions, at this point. Although you can skip the later entries, these first few are truly well-made from start to finish.
8 The Informant! (2009)
In the late 1990s, Damon became known for his collaborations with American director Kevin Smith. But since Dogma (1999), the actor of the hour has become arguably more renowned for his work with Steven Soderbergh. Their most famous collaborations together are in the Ocean’s movies, where Damon played Linus Caldwell. But those were led by George Clooney, in which he played the titular role of Danny Ocean.
But with The Informant! (2009), Damon took the reins as lead actor of the titular character, Mark Whitacre — a real-life business executive who became a whistleblower for the F.B.I. It’s a well-executed film in which Damon shows his charisma and talent through and through. Definitely check it out, if you haven’t already.
7 The Rainmaker (1997)
Based on John Grisham’s 1995 novel of the same name, this is among the more famous of his adaptations, as The Rainmaker (1997) was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and it features a star-studded cast on top of that massive film-making name. Of course, Damon plays the titular character, a lawyer named Rudy Baylor.
But other names include Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke, Danny Devito, Danny Glover, Roy Scheider, and Teresa Wright. Those are some massive names of the industry, and they all bolster the quality of The Rainmaker as it earned positive reviews from critics. It lands here at number seven.
6 The Bourne Identity (2002)
After a legendary run of films in the late 1990s, it was up to Damon to continue that success into the new century. He struggled in the opening year, but rebounded in brilliant fashion with Ocean’s Eleven (2001) by Steven Soderbergh. If one actor went down as the true star of that one, though, it was undoubtedly George Clooney. But with The Bourne Identity (2002), he insured his legacy with one of his highest-grossing projects at the time of release.
Of course, this became a massive franchise, and with good reason. It’s a brilliant action stint from start to finish, with a well-written script and a meaningful performance from the man of the hour. This is arguably Damon’s definitive role, and The Bourne Identity started it all off in legendary fashion.
5 The Martian (2015)
Most Damon fans and film connoisseurs in general would agree that the top five picks on this list comprise the most famous roles of Matt Damon’s career, save perhaps for Linus in the Ocean’s series. And starting out the upper echelon of titular Damon roles is The Martian (2015), which saw direction under Ridley Scott from a screenplay penned by Drew Goddard.
Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Andy Weir, it picked up seven nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, with one being Best Actor for the man of the hour. The film came up short in all seven categories, but it still featured a stellar performance from Damon with plenty of other qualitative elements worth writing home about. Definitely watch The Martian if you haven’t done so already.
4 The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Written and directed by Anthony Minghella, this psychological thriller remains thought-out and intense from its opening scene until the film’s final frame. And each key player shined in their respective roles: Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf — who received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards — along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood and Matt Damon as the titular Tom Ripley.
It’s worth noting that this was based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name from 1955, so Minghella had an established story to work with. And his adaptation was rendered one of the year’s most popular and revered films, with fans still enjoying The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) to this day. Its spot in the top five is simply undeniable.
3 The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Again: this is arguably Matt Damon’s most important role to-date, and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) showcased Jason Bourne at his high-intensity best. Made by Paul Greengrass — the most frequent director of Bourne films, with three under his belt — the screenplay was penned by three writers: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, and George Nolfi. But of course, this famous franchise would’ve never been possible if not for the mind of Robert Ludlum, who wrote the novels of the same names.
Ultimatum follows Bourne as he continues to uncover the many secrets of his past, while in this particularly acclaimed entry also being sought out as the target of an assassin program. And the result isn’t just a thrilling action stint, but also a project of legitimately high caliber with regard to storytelling, camerawork, and even acting. This is the best Bourne film, and it’s Damon’s best portrayal of the famous character.
2 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
These top two could really go either way, as Saving Private Ryan (1998) was among the most acclaimed movies of its year. It was probably the most well-revered, in fact, with fans up in arms over Shakespeare in Love (1998) winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. And their complaints were well warranted.
Sure, famous American filmmaker Steven Spielberg won Best Director at the aforementioned ceremony, but Saving Private Ryan features a true masterclass of every fathomable facet of filmmaking around every corner of its thrilling plot set during World War II. Damon plays Private James Francis Ryan who the lead characters are sent to track down after Ryan’s three brother were killed amid combat. Damon doesn’t stand out herein with a particularly notable performance, but Tom Hanks surely did. And acting aside, the film as a whole is of the absolute highest quality, landing in the penultimate spot.
1 Good Will Hunting (1997)
The film that put him on the map, Good Will Hunting (1997) stars Matt Damon as the titular genius from South Boston who attempts to capitalize on his penchant for mathematics. An intriguing premise, but the beauty of the character of course lies in his dynamic with Sean Maguire, his therapist. Sure, Will is a genius, but he’s only twenty years old and has a criminal record. In order to get his academics in line, he must first attend therapy sessions with Dr. Maguire — played to an Oscar-winning degree by Robin Williams.
The film as a whole saw direction by Gus Van Sant, while Damon co-wrote the script with his longtime friend and collaborator Ben Affleck. And although Damon came up short in his run for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, most fans will agree that Will Hunting remains the definitive role of Matt Damon’s career, let alone those of the titular variety.