U.K. native Paul McGuigan established himself as one of the more unique directors to make his presence known in Britain and Hollywood during the 2000s; he unveiled a particularly strong knack for handling #92;crime material and #92;thrillers with a gritty intensity that became a personal trademark and that prompted more than one comparison to Martin Scorsese. McGuigan grew up in England as the son of a Bellshill-based publican and began his occupational life as a still photographer, then worked his way into the #92;documentary field, helming nonfiction assignments for Channel 4. McGuigan's foray into fiction work commenced with his short The Granton Star Cause, about a man who morphs into a fly as a divine curse; the critical acclaim netted by that effort inspired him to helm two additional self-contained episodes, also adapted from the work of Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) and stitched together as a well-received omnibus. That laid the groundwork necessary for McGuigan to move into features on a full-time basis, which he did with the inventive #92;crime sagas Gangster No. 1 (2000) and Lucky Number Slevin (2006); in-between, McGuigan exhibited diversity by helming the compelling, IRA-themed nonfiction opus Facing the Enemy (2001) and the eerie, atmospheric #92;romantic mystery Wicker Park (2004), and the same year's period #92;whodunit The Reckoning. In 2008, McGuigan directed the supernatural thriller Push, starring Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning; it told of a bunch of psychics who band together to rebel against the vile government agency controlling them. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide