MATT DAMON

by Nate Lee 

BEST FILM:

Good Will Hunting and Saving Private Ryan...

Certainly “Private Ryan” is a masterpiece, but Damon as the titular character is not the major force of the movie and really barely a minor force. His debut in screenwriting and lead acting, though—Good Will Hunting-- is a brilliant film, driven almost completely by both Damon’s acting and his writing chops.  

BLOCKBUSTERS:

Saving Private Ryan

Good Will Hunting

The Ocean’s Eleven trilogy

The Bourne trilogy

The Good Shepherd

Syriana

Courage Under Fire 

THE REAL DAMON:

Good Will Hunting...

Co-written by Damon with pal Ben Affleck, for which they won Oscars, and for which Damon’s acting received Golden Globe, Oscar and SAG nominations. Damon was a student at Harvard while he wrote about an outsider genius coping (or not coping) with the Ivy League society.  

MOVIES HE PROBABLY WISHES HE DIDN’T DO:

The Legend of Bagger Vance

All the Pretty Horses

Finding Forrester

Mean Streets

Gerry

Brothers Grimm 

GREAT PERFORMANCES YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN:

Stuck on You (Greg Kinnear’s conjoined twin)

Dogma (vengeful angel Loki)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (man obsessed with Jude Law, Golden Globe nominated performance)

Chasing Amy

The Rainmaker 

ACTING STYLE:

Though he is word perfect in the long speeches by Will Hunting, Damon’s natural style is complete unassuming flatness, which is why some of his best roles – a spy in “Bourne” and “Good Shepherd,” a man taking over another’s identity in “Mr. Ripley,” and the pickpocket/con man of “Ocean,” are about people who can disappear.  

BITS AND QUIRKS:

A funny clunky walk. Chagrined smile or tight grimace. The sudden outburst. The fast and witty speech. The flat voice. 

GREAT SCENES:

DOGMA - “Punishing” the board of directors for their sins

GOOD WILL HUNTING - The bar fight > The interview with the defense contractors

STUCK ON YOU - “Sticking” around as brother Kinnear pursues acting > Spongebob-like skill on the grill > Getting stuck on either side of the bus door

BOURNE - Too many to mention >> The hand-to-hand stuff in the apartment > The spycraft > Returning to the scene of the birth of Jason > Tracking down CIA sub-chief Joan Allen and talking to her on the phone while watching her from a nearby building > Confessing to the daughter of the Russians he killed

OCEAN - “The nose” bit, seducing Ellen Barkin > With Cherry Jones, as his mom

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - Tom Hanks & Co. find him and he refuses to abandon his station

THE GOOD SHEPHERD - Holding the scene without saying a word >> Dealing with the KGB chief in various stages > Realizing his secretary is a mole > Talking with Mafia chief Joe Pesci about America 

 

GO TO THE... MATT DAMON BIO