Matt Damon Reveals the Scorsese Film He Calls Flawless
Matt Damon shares his admiration for Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, calling it the director’s standout work and reflecting on its enduring influence and his own experience working with Scorsese.
For most actors, landing a role in a Martin Scorsese film is a dream come true. While Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio have teamed up with the legendary director more than once, Matt Damon’s only stint was in the 2006 crime flick The Departed. That film, featuring a star-studded cast including DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen, is a reimagining of the Hong Kong classic Internal Affairs. It dives into the murky world of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, focusing on a dodgy FBI agent and a tangled web of deceit and double lives.
Damon has spoken openly about Scorsese’s knack for churning out top-notch films, especially during the early and middle years of his career. Reflecting on the director’s impressive streak, Damon once said on The Bill Simmons Podcast,
“Every time he does a movie – he 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.”
Scorsese’s Masterpiece and Its Lasting Appeal
Goodfellas stands out for its gritty, no-nonsense look at organised crime, showing both the glamour and the ugly side of chasing power and cash. Scorsese’s style here is unmistakable—fast-paced camera work, a thumping soundtrack, and a story that jumps around in time, all pulling punters right into the heart of the mob scene.
The film’s cast, including Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci, delivered performances that have become iconic. The story digs into how far someone might turn a blind eye to their mate’s dodgy behaviour, and the film’s impact on Scorsese’s career is hard to overstate. Damon reckons,
“There’s just no question that 30 years later, that movie is what it is. So that’s why it’s not that worth getting twisted or out of shape about nominations because nobody’s going to remember if somebody backed into a nomination by campaigning really well. Like Ray Liotta didn’t get nominated. In 30 years, that’s not going to mean anything. It’s so damn good.”
Recognition and Awards: A Mixed Bag
Despite its status as a classic, Goodfellas didn’t see Ray Liotta nominated for an Oscar for his role as Henry Hill, which raised a few eyebrows at the time. Joe Pesci did take home the gong for Best Supporting Actor, but Liotta’s snub is still talked about. Damon points out that while The Departed was a hit at the Academy Awards—scoring Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing—it still doesn’t quite measure up to the brilliance of Goodfellas.
He put it this way:
“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. [However], there was no way he was not going to win ‘Best Director’ by the Academy. It was cheapening the award at that point that he didn’t have one.”
Scorsese’s Legacy in Cinema
Damon also noted the oddity of Scorsese not having an Oscar for so long, given his massive contribution to American film.
“It was doing more damage to the Academy that he didn’t have one because it was so absurd after what he had done for American cinema he didn’t have one. But some movies are polarising, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
For Damon, Goodfellas remains the gold standard—a film that’s stood the test of time and continues to be loved by audiences everywhere.