10 Actors Whose Credibility Has Suffered The Most In 2017 (So Far)

What was Matt Damon thinking when he agreed to The Great Wall?

This seemed to be the question on the lips of most people who dared to see it, but you have to understand it from Damon's perspective: the film was directed by Zhang Yimou, the genius behind such films as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, and it probably seemed - on paper, at least - like a recipe for a huge success.

No matter: the movie was deemed a box office flop, Damon's performance was written off as "strange" by a number of critics, and the film was criticised for its decision to make a white man the central character. Damon would defend his choice to play the hero, of course. "It’s a historical fantasy and I didn’t take a role away from a Chinese actor," he said, very seriously. "It wasn’t altered because of me."

Whether that's true or not does little for the damage this has done to Damon's box office standing, though. In the wake of Jason Bourne, the unnecessary sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum that came and went with little fanfare last year, The Great Wall feels like a mean kick to Damon's credentials. The Martian it ain't.