Matt Damon cements his big screen persona in 'The Martian'

Matt Damon in 'The Martian'

A-list male movie stars usually have something akin to an established persona. Denzel Washington is fierce. Tom Hanks is noble. George Clooney is charming. Tom Cruise is driven.

But what is Matt Damon?

He's definitely got a presence about him. He's likable, and ingratiates himself with audiences with ease. But he has been a little bit harder to pin down during his career.

Even his signature role -- Jason Bourne -- is a bit of cypher. He's a man who doesn't even know who he is, so while Damon is dynamic in the part, it's largely physical.

That said, after watching his incredibly appealing turn in The Martian, I better understand his star identity -- he's the smart guy.

His breakout film featured him as an unassuming genius (Good Will Hunting), his next major role was the manipulative but undeniably bright lead of The Talented Mr. Ripley. And in role after role, he has mastered the art of making being smart look good. Even his role as the comic foil in the Ocean's movies played off of his upstart character being too ahead of the curve for his own good.

My favorite role of his to date was in The Departed. DiCaprio has the showier, more emotional role, but Damon was remarkable as a real weasel, remarkably adept at lying to everyone, including himself.

In The Martian, he plays it safer, in part because it's a more conventional film. It's a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, and deserves to be the hit it will most likely be. But, it is not a game-changer like say Gravity (with its visionary storytelling) or even Interstellar (which was both more flawed and ambitious). It's just a terrific mainstream movie, that succeeds largely because of Damon's humane intelligence.

Damon looks great, can play light comedy and he never, ever comes across as smug (you can't say the same about his close friend and former co-star Ben Affleck.)

That persona extends off-screen too. It's not lost on audiences that Damon has been happily married to years to a "regular" person. And with the exception of a minor whitesplaining controversy, he has largely avoided tabloid controversy or gaffes.

He has also shown pretty impeccable taste. Damon's box office track record isn't flawless, but he usually makes quality films with solid filmmakers. At 44 he has reached a stage of career where he has earned audiences' trust him as a real talent.

The Martian should only enhance his stature as one of Hollywood's good guys.