Matt Damon names his favourite movies of all time
Matt Damon has never been afraid to run the gamut of different film roles. In every movie that he’s taken on, fans are expected to get bits and pieces of comedy, drama and even hints of his real life sprinkled throughout his performance. Damon never likes to sugarcoat any of his roles, and it’s only fitting that his four favourite movies would also run the gamut of film history.
When asked about his favourites for Letterboxd, Damon mentioned Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic The Godfather immediately, saying that he would cheat by including both the original and the sequel as one movie. Throughout the film, fans see the dramatic evolution of the Corleone Family as the unofficial patriarch Michael slowly claws himself up to be one of the kingpins of the mafia.
Although the first movie may have set Michael’s plans of organised crime in motion, the sequel expounds further by bringing depth to his father’s origins and how he applies the Corleone mentality to his current situation. It wouldn’t be long before Damon would put his acting skills to good use, working alongside Francis Ford Coppola for the movie The Rainmaker.
Damon is far from serious all the time, though, counting Midnight Run because of his love for comedies. While the comedy also features Godfather alum Robert De Niro in the role of Jack Walsh, it’s easy to see where De Niro was refining his acting jobs, eventually having the best comedic timing of most of his contemporaries.
In terms of movies as entertainment, Damon always has a soft spot for Pulp Fiction. Having already been in his fair share of productions with Ben Affleck, Damon remembers his first screening of the Quentin Tarantino classic, saying: “I was at Mann’s Chinese theatre opening night of Pulp Fiction in 1994. It was like being at a rock and roll concert. That got us so fired up about what movies can do. That was definitely a highlight of my moviegoing life”.
As opposed to the classic stylings of someone like Coppola, Tarantino’s visceral approach to filmmaking left an indelible impact on Damon, which would extend to both the dramatic roles and some of the more gritty performances he would have to take on in movies like The Talented Mr Ripley.
For most filmmakers of any generation, though, Damon always comes back to the work of Steven Spielberg, including the blockbuster Jaws as one of his final favourites. Although Spielberg had already been on a winning streak, the classic tale of the killer shark gave birth to the summer blockbuster as most of us know it today, combining the right amount of suspense and intensity to keep fans glued to the screen.
As Damon began work on films of his own, he would often find himself acting alongside some of his film heroes, being the titular soldier in Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan towards the end of the 1990s. When working with different directors, Damon has also turned himself into a Hollywood maverick, going after the roles he wants and finding a way to turn them into something entertaining even when they aren’t necessarily en vogue. Regardless of his filmography, Damon’s taste in films has guided him through some of the most acclaimed films of the last 20 years.
Matt Damon’s favourite films:
- The Godfather Part 1 & 2 (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972; 1974)
- Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)
- Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
- Jaws (Steven Speilberg, 1975)
