For British TV, Campbell helmed the police series "Bergerac" (1982), "Reilly: Ace of Spies", the premiere episode of the popular "Edge of Darkness" and "Charlie" (1987). Arguably, it was the critical and popular success of "Edge of Darkness" which paved the way for Campbell's cross-over to American thrillers like "Criminal Law" (1988), starring Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman, and "Defenseless" (1991), with Barbara Hershey and Sam Shepard. These two modest suspense films rested heavily on their actors, in sharp contrast to Campbell's 1994 effort "No Escape". A futuristic Ray Liotta vehicle, produced by Gale Anne Hurd, it was a departure into the action adventure genre for Campbell.
With his background in action, he was chosen to direct "GoldenEye" (1995), the 17th James Bond film, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as 007. Campbell then impressed audiences with the stylish and lavishly filmed derring-do of "The Mask of Zorro" (1998), which also subtly sent-up the conventions of the swashbuckling hero, at last made a marquee name out of star Antonio Banderas in America and provided the breakthrough role for Catherine Zeta-Jones--he would return seven years later for the entertaining sequel "The Legend of Zorro" (2005) after his two follow-ups, the lackluster thriller "Vertical Limit" (2000) and the well-intentioned international political melodrama "Beyond Borders" (2003) starring Angelina Jolie failed to drum up much business at the box office. After the second "Zorro" film he returned to another familiar property to helm "Casino Royale" (lensed 2006), the 21st James Bond film and the first to feature Daniel Craig as the superspy in a plotline that promised to adhere more closely to Ian Fleming's original novel than other 007 efforts.
Campbell's talents for TV have not been overlooked in the States: he has directed the detective thriller "Cast a Deadly Spell" (HBO, 1991), two 1993 episodes of the NBC police drama "Homicide: Life on the Street" and, after his big-screen successes, the pilot of the short-lived crime drama "10-8: Officers on Duty" (2003).