In 1989, Greengrass made his directorial debut with Resurrected, a film that established the strong political voice and harshly realistic style he would become known for. Greengrass continued to deal with political topics in small-screen movies such as Open Fire before returning to the big screen with 1998's The Theory of Flight.

In 2002, Greengrass received critical acclaim for his documentary-style Bloody Sunday, and in 2004, he achieved his first major box office success with The Bourne Supremacy. Tapped to direct United 93 in 2006, Greengrass used a largely unknown cast to deliver a stark portrait of the Sept. 11 tragedy (which earned him his first Oscar nod).