British helmer Paul Greengrass began his career as a director for the well-regarded ITV program “World in Action” in the 1980s, for which he traveled around the globe aggressively reporting on current events. This may account for his hyper-real, journalistic filmmaking style, which he has used to great effect in films as varied as “United 93” and the Hollywood actioner “The Bourne Supremacy.” Or it may just be that he possesses a unique talent, one particularly well-suited to the rhythm of suspense required for his stories of international conflict, spy games, and historical re-creation. Regardless, Greengrass is a terrific director, and has proved himself as a filmmaker bridging the gaps between entertainment, politics, and current events.
Born August 13, 1955 in Cheam, Surrey, England, Greengrass was educated at Cambridge University and has had a long-standing interest in journalism and international affairs. During his time with “World in Action,” he co-wrote the notorious non-fiction book “Spycatcher” with former MI5 assistant director Peter Wright. The book was the public target of unsuccessful censorship by the British government, as it purported to reveal years of English espionage secrets. He then made a move towards feature directing in the late 80s, making his debut with 1989’s “Resurrected,” an anti-war film starring David Thewlis. British television films became Greengrass’s outlet for the next decade – they include “When the Lies Run Out” (with Alfred Molina), the incendiary “The One that Got Away,” and “The Fix,” a drama about the infamous 1960s football bookie conspiracy starring Steve Coogan and Jason Isaacs. He then directed the feature “The Theory of Flight,” an unlikely love story starring Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter.
The Greengrass-helmed “Bloody Sunday” catapulted the director to prominence in 2002. An excruciatingly detailed and harrowing account of the massacre of Irish civil rights protestors by British troops in 1972, Greengrass was noted for his intense camera work and eye for historical minutiae. He then made his Hollywood debut with the first sequel to the popular Matt Damon action franchise that began with “The Bourne Identity.” Greengrass’s more dynamic take on the material made “The Bourne Supremacy” more successful commercially and critically than the first, and Greengrass is currently shooting a second sequel, “The Bourne Ultimatum,” for release in the summer of 2007.
In 2006, Greengrass received his greatest acclaim to date for “United 93,” an emotional docu-drama that chronicles the fate of the passengers on board United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. The film has earned him an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA Award for Best Director.