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James Foley

James Foley

Director and writer, also actor · Died May 6, 2025, aged 71 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

James Foley (December 28, 1953 – May 6, 2025) was an American film director. His 1986 film At Close Range was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival. Other films he directed include Glengarry Glen Ross, based on the play of the same name by David Mamet, and The Chamber, based on the novel of the same name by author John Grisham. He also directed the two sequels to Fifty Shades of Grey: Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018). Description above from the Wikipedia article  James Foley (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 28, 1953
Died
May 6, 2025 (aged 71)
From
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Works as
Director and writer, also actor
Titles
19 on Motif · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 6% in 30 days

What are James Foley's films like?

Across their 15 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime6 titlesTypical Motif score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Motif score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Motif score: 19th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Motif score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
26%
Bonds
25%
Self
16%
Power
12%
Survival
11%
Society
9%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 4 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
6
Romantic
4
Dread
3
Joyful
2
Other
16

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Foley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 19 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Foley's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 19 with a Motif page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Fifty Shades Freed(2018)

    Director

    Motif score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Fifty Shades Darker(2017)

    Director

    Motif score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Billions(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Wayward Pines(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Hannibal(2013)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • House of Cards(2013)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Perfect Stranger(2007)

    Director

    Motif score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Confidence(2003)

    Director

    Motif score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Corruptor(1999)

    Director

    Motif score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Gun (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Chamber(1996)

    Director

    Motif score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Fear(1996)

    Director

    Motif score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Two Bits(1995)

    Director

    Motif score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Glengarry Glen Ross(1992)

    Director

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Madonna: The Immaculate Collection (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Writer

  • After Dark, My Sweet(1990)

    Director · Screenplay

    Motif score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Twin Peaks(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Who's That Girl(1987)

    Director

    Motif score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • At Close Range(1986)

    Director · as Assistant D.A.

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour(1985)

    Director

    Motif score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Reckless(1984)

    Director

    Motif score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Silent Night (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Janie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)

    Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 23 titles from 1970 to 2018.

Biggest box office

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

$382M worldwide

Highest rated

Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour (1985)

Motif 97th

Most popular right now

Fifty Shades Freed (2018)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 23: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting22 of 23: 19 only directing, 3 with another role · typical Motif score61stWriting3 of 23: 1 only writing, 2 with another role

23 titles, 3 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew1990s9 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s6 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do James Foley's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Motif score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

79th percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Hannibal (2013)

Motif 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Foley's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles23–84 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles17–80 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 31
Profanity9 titles59–85 · median 70 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 35
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles34–52 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles23–72 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James Foley work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Foley's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Juan Ruiz Anchía shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles