Who wouldn’t leap at the chance to bask in the spotlight of a Martin Scorsese masterpiece? Any thespian worth their salt knows that to share the screen in a Scorsese saga is akin to finding the pot of gold at the end of the cinematic rainbow.
Indeed, giants like Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio have often waltzed through this golden gate, yet Matt Damon has courted the Scorsese stage just once—a memorable turn in 2006’s crime thriller, The Departed. So, it must be one of his favorite flicks?
Well, hold your horses, there’s a plot twist! Even after working with the formidable Scorsese, Damon’s heart beats for a different classic. Steven Spielberg’s seascape of suspense, Jaws (1975), chomps its way to the top of Damon’s all-time favorites, shining a spotlight on the director’s genius.
Matt Damon Considers This Steven Spielberg Classic a Masterpiece
When it comes to discussing the greats of cinema, it’s hard not to mention the iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg. Known for his mastery of storytelling and his ability to create timeless classics, he paints stories with the brush of his lens like no other. And one actor who had the privilege of working with Spielberg (in Saving Private Ryan) and witnessing his genius firsthand is none other than Matt Damon.
In an interview (via Rotten Tomatoes), Damon shared his thoughts on Spielberg’s work, particularly highlighting the 1975 classic Jaws as one of the director’s finest achievements. Describing it as a “terrifying, perfect movie,” the Mystic Pizza actor, 53, praised Spielberg’s ability to tap into primal fears and create a sense of suspense without even showing the titular shark for much of the film. Damon observed:
That’s a terrifying, perfect movie. It’s simple and kind of perfect and beautiful. It’s early Spielberg, and it just shows … I mean, I know it was a mistake that the shark wasn’t ready, but the idea of not seeing the shark is just absolutely brilliant.
Drawing parallels between Spielberg’s storytelling and the writing of Ernest Hemingway, Damon noted that both creators possessed a knack for simplicity and a mastery of their work. The actor mused:
It’s like when Hemingway writes, I always go, ‘I know all those words. I just never thought to put them in that order.’ So, there’s nothing that Steven’s doing that’s a trick. He’s got the same equipment everyone else has. He’s just better at telling a visual story.
It does not mean he will not acknowledge Martin Scorsese’s talent; he had once discussed the director’s incredible run of films throughout his career.
Matt Damon Delved into the Elements of Perfection in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas
Ah, Goodfellas—the quintessential biographical crime drama flick that had everyone glued to their seats back in 1990. Martin Scorsese really hit the jackpot with this one, and Matt Damon is not shy about expressing his admiration for the movie.
In The Bill Simmons Podcast interview (via Far Out Magazine), Damon couldn’t help but gush over Scorsese’s impeccable direction in Goodfellas, calling it “perfect”. He began by applauding the director’s earlier works like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull, and then came Goodfellas— a movie that is as flawless as a freshly polished diamond:
Every time he does a movie – he [Martin Scorsese] does Mean Streets, then he does Taxi Driver and then Raging Bull, and it’s like my God, amazing; he just on such a tear in that timeframe. Then it’s like, what could he possibly do, and he does Goodfellas. That movie is perfect. Everybody loves that movie. I think that’s his best film.
Damon even went as far as to say that The Departed, which won multiple Oscars, could never hold a candle to the brilliance of Goodfellas. Ouch, talk about a tough act to follow! To quote the actor:
Common perception kind of caught up with his genius by that point, so The Departed, I’m very proud to have been in that movie, but it’s not one of Marty’s best movies.
So, for Scorsese and his gangster masterpiece, Goodfellas, it may have been made over 30 years ago, but it’s still as fresh and exhilarating as ever. And if you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it – you won’t be disappointed.
Goodfellas is streaming on Tubi TV, while Jaws is available on Peacock Premium.
