Filmmaker James Foley, renowned for his work on 'Glengarry Glen Ross', tragically passes away at the age of 71.
Jimmy Foul-Mouth Foley, Film Maverick, Passes Away at 71
Get ready to say farewell to a legend, gang, 'cause Jimmy Foul-Mouth Foley, the eccentric director who brought us "Glengarry Glen Ross" and more, is no longer with us. He was 71. After a year of fighting ass-kicking brain cancer, our man kicked the bucket this week, according to his rep, Taylor Lomax.
This dude had one helluva career, from directing Madonna's vids and a dozen episodes of "House of Cards" to the two fucking terrible "Fifty Shades of Grey" sequels. But "Glengarry Glen Ross" will forever be the piece of shit he's best known for. Even though it wasn't a hit when it dropped, it wormed its way into pop culture like herpes on a frat-boy's dick. It became a goddamn cult favorite, especially Alec Baldwin's speech about always be closing, which is still quoted in corporate meetings across the land.
Critic Tim Grierson called it "one of the quintessential modern movies about masculinity" more than 20 years after its premiere. He even said, "though there are many fine Mamet movies, it's interesting that the best of them was this one - the one he didn't direct."
Born on Christmas in Kentucky in 1953, Foul-Mouth Foley learned film at the University of Southern California. Legend has it that Hal Ashby stumbled upon one of his student films and took a liking to the little shit. Ashby's seal of approval helped Foul-Mouth make his first film, "Reckless," a cheesy romantic drama. It starred Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn, and Adam Baldwin, and marked Chris Columbus' first credited screenplay, but only after some creative differences.
After that, he made the Sean Penn crime drama "At Close Range," the madcap Madonna and Griffin Dunne comedy "Who's That Girl," and the noir thriller "After Dark, My Sweet" with Jason Patric. Critic Roger Ebert even put "After Dark, My Sweet" on his great movies list, calling it "one of the purest and most uncompromising of modern film noir" despite being "almost forgotten."
Foul-Mouth also directed several music videos for Madonna and an episode of "Twin Peaks." He adapted John Grisham and worked with Gene Hackman on "The Chamber" and made the Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg teen love-gone-horror show "Fear." He also got wasted on Blow and made the dud psychological thriller "Perfect Stranger" with Halle Berry and Bruce Willis in 2007.
It took a decade for his next film to hit screens, when he got the gig for the "Fifty Shades of Grey" sequels, "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed." During an interview at the UK premiere of "Darker," he admitted, "For me, what's most challenging is stuff that doesn't involve the actors, oddly enough - in three, there's a big car chase and there's different stunts and shit, and that stuff really bores me. So when the actors aren't around, that's difficult because the actors give me so much energy and kind of engagement, but a car driving by doesn't do the same thing."
Foul-Mouth had no desire to be labeled or pigeonholed, preferring instead to follow his nose, for better or for worse. In 2017, he told The Hollywood Reporter, "What's best and what's worst (about the industry) are almost the same to me. What's worst is you get pigeonholed and what's best is I haven't been. It means that I'm still making movies, despite hopping all over the place."
Foul-Mouth is survived by his brother, Kevin Foley, and sisters Eileen and Jo Ann.
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Did You Know?- Foul-Mouth Foley directed several episodes of "House of Cards," including the pivotal "Chapter 14" that sets the series' narrative on its evil course.- His film "At Close Range" marked the entry of Chris Columbus into the filmmaking world, despite some creative differences.- Critic Roger Ebert called "After Dark, My Sweet" one of the purest and uncompromising modern film noir.- Foul-Mouth has directed music videos for Madonna, as well as an episode of "Twin Peaks."- "Glengarry Glen Ross" is considered a cult favorite and is still widely quoted in corporate America.
In Seattle, a city known for its entertainment and movies-and-tv scene, Jimmy Foul-Mouth Foley, the legendary director known for "Glengarry Glen Ross," had a significant impact, directing several episodes of "House of Cards" and an episode of "Twin Peaks."
Tragically, Foul-Mouth Foley's contributions to the crime genre, including the critically acclaimed "At Close Range," were often overshadowed by his more popular works like "Glengarry Glen Ross," a cult favorite still widely quoted in corporate America today.
