Boyle's work in TV was mostly in drama, including the 1991 "Masonic Mysteries" installment of the "Inspector Morse" series, in which Morse is arrested on suspicion of murder. Boyle also directed the TV-movies "The DeLorean Tapes" and "For the Greater Good" and produced the controversial "Elephant" by Alan Clarke for the BBC. His series credits include "Mr. Wroe's Virgins".

Collecting about $1.5 million from Channel 4 and a Glasgow Film Grant, Boyle went on to make "Shallow Grave" from a script by John Hodge. From its kinetic opening shots through its denouement, the film announced the arrival of a major talent. Boyle assuredly handled the black comedy of the script with a stylized theatricality that has become a hallmark of his features. The performances of the lead trio of actors (Kerry Fox, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston) blossom and grow; at the start of the movie, they act almost as one, but as the story progresses each becomes a defined personality. Boyle managed to create a number of brilliantly shot comic set pieces (including a series of interview sessions with prospective roommates and the disposal of a dead body). The feature's violent undercurrents are also successfully navigated up to its tour de force surprise ending. Aiding in the film's success is its production design (especially the apartment that is its primary setting), editing and atmospheric score. Boyle won a Silver Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival and the Golden Hitchcock at Dinard for Best Direction.

Reteaming with screenwriter Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald, Boyle directed "Trainspotting" (1996), a look at the drug-infested underworld of Glasgow. Again employing a hyper-active camera and working with many of the same behind-the-scenes personnel, the director established an unique visual style that matched the storylines. Each set piece successfully commented on and enhanced the characters and their situations; not only did the film depict the addicts it captured the complexity of addiction itself. There are a number of memorable scenes, most involving Ewan McGregor's Renton; notably a sequence in which he seemingly dives head first into a public toilet and his harrowing attempt to quit heroin cold turkey. In the latter sequence, the room takes on a fantastic life and character of its own. As with "Shallow Grave", Boyle, abetted by a cast that included Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner, created a world populated with venal, yet oddly, charismatic characters. A box-office hit in the UK and a cult hit in the USA, it firmly established the creative team in films.

In fact, Boyle has reportedly spurned offers from Hollywood (including a chance to helm the fourth installment in the "Alien" series) to concentrate on his own vision. His third feature, the oddball comedy "A Life Less Ordinary" (1997), once again teamed him with Hodge and Macdonald and also featured McGregor. This time the actor was cast as a man who takes revenge on his employer by kidnapping the employer's daughter (Cameron Diaz). Sometimes poignant and funny, other times too quirky and muddled for its own good, “A Life Less Ordinary” lacked the impact of his previous effort. His next feature, “The Beach” (2000), was equally disappointing. An adventure drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio—hot off the heels of “Titanic” (1997)—it failed to capture much interest critically and at the box office—probably due to critical headlines about production delays and changing release dates.

After making a couple of short features for the BBC—“Strumpet” and “Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise”—Boyle returned for a full-length feature with “28 Days Later” (2002), a graphic sci-fi thriller about a deadly virus spread by rampant chimpanzees released by animal rights activists. The virus sends the human race into a frenzied murderous rage and nearly wipes out the earth’s population. A surprise hit with audiences, “28 Days Later” took a sizeable take at the box office and captured critical kudos all around. After three years off, Boyle returned behind the camera to direct “Millions” (2005). Typically prone to kinetic violence and wild imagery in his movies, Boyle toned down to tell a surprisingly warm and heartfelt story about the inner world and imagination of children.