Code of Silence

To me,it's kind of unfortunate that many people,when people mention the name Chuck Norris think mostly of "Walker:Texas Ranger"(if they're not thinking of the barrage of Internet facts and the Home Gym infomercials he's been doing with Christie Brinkley),which is a shame. "Walker..." may've offered people who enjoy their television simple,straight-forward and moralistic(not to meniton full of round-house kicks),but to me,Mr.Norris seems better suited for movies,where his quiet,confident and likable minimalism as an actor--which perfectly balance his awesome fighting skills--can go from introduction through denouement of a three-to-four act movie involving situation,rising tension,action,climax and conclusion,all in the tight space of two hours or so(As opposed to a recurring character over the space of twenty-plus episodes per season). But that's just my humble Opine.

THis story isn't particularly taxing,as following suit with many of this genre: Tough,upright,fair and moral Chicago Sgt.Eddie Cusack(guess who?)has two looming problems on his hands--an IAD investigation into the shooting of a young boy in the projects involving two of his undercovers,one of whom becomes his de facto partner,and a gang war brewing between Italian and Bolivian(?) drug-families,which has him becoming the guardian of a scared Mafia princess(Molly HAgan). Cusack'll need his not only his toughness but also his wits(And a police robot,to boot)to play both families(the Latino family led by Henry Silva,a piece of excellent casting) off each other AND dodge the repercussions of bitter,corrupt fellow cops to make sure that justice is preserved and the innocent young woman in his care is not made yet another mob war casualty.

Directed by rising star director Andrew DAvis(in another seven years,he'll helm the surprise hit "UNder Siege" and in eight,the blockbuster "The Fugitive"),this show uses A lot of Chicago--it's scenery,it's landmarks,neighborhoods and(last but not least)it's actors,none the least of which is someday acting staple but then former Chicago cop himself Dennis FArina(As Chuck's easy-going partner and erstwhile comic relief)--and it's all used to very good effect. About the only thing that doesn't cut muster here is the almost CAsio-like music that scores this,but being that this was a 1985 release,I'm figuring that this show was no more or less guilty of that than most films of the era. I got this movie out of the cheap,cheap CHEAP bin at the local music and movie resold store,and I must say that it better than makes up for the price paid. This film's been swept under,but to me,coupled with such lost classics as "The Octagon","Lone Wold McQuade" and "Eye for an Eye" are definitely worth your Norris film library,if you are so inclined to start one,of course.

An undistinguished action vehicle for Chuck Norris, this time playing a maverick cop (a real stretch for him) who has to battle a street war between rival drug dealers. What his movie lacks in an original plot it makes up for with an intelligent script which somewhat surprisingly focuses on characterisation instead of macho one-liners, and good pacing and direction from Andrew Davis, here cutting his teeth on the genre which would later serve him well in the likes of UNDER SIEGE.

Norris plays the typical tough-yet-likable hardman character he always seems to play, except that he's less reliant on the martial arts here. The physical fights that do ensue are generally unexciting and limp, the shoot-outs and gun battles more convincingly portrayed. Henry Silva (NICO: ABOVE THE LAW) is the chief villain, and is very good as per usual; there aren't many actors who manage to look as genuinely evil as Silva - except Christopher Walken perhaps. Dennis Farina appears in a minor role as a buddy of Norris, and the supporting cast are rounded out by passable actors and actresses who put in solid, if unmemorable, performances.

The movie draws in drug dealing and battles between rival gangs with a subplot involving police corruption, specifically an officer who accidentally shoots an innocent bystander. The various plot strands are woven together well, and there are a couple of set-pieces (like Norris taking on an entire bar) which certainly don't disappoint. The violent ending is predictable and pretty clichéd, but executed with a certain style. This is routine but solid stuff from Norris.

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this; Chuck Norris in a genuinely good film.This is one of the better ones though. There isn't much in the way of martial arts, but there's a great one man army style finale.

It's more of a cop thriller, which has a genuinely good story and a damn good cast to boot. You've got the legendary Denis Farina and Henry Silva, who can never, ever play a good guy; he just looks evil all the time.

I love stories about corrupt cops; there's something that really grabs you emotionally because you get so angry that even "heroes" can be corrupted. Not our Chuck though, who ends up alienating himself from the force because he wants to bring down one of his own.

Code of Silence is a gritty, old-school cop thriller kinda like Dirty Harry and it's one of Chuck's more serious roles and he is actually pretty damn good in it too. Its a little slow in the first half and isn't constant action, but it is really tense in places and doesn't skimp on the violence either.

I would have given it a higher score if there was more martial arts in the film. But overall, if you're a Chuck Norris fan then give Code of Silence a watch. It's definitely one of his better films. 8 out of 10

1985 was perhaps the peak year for action star Chuck Norris, with three big hits released. This was the second one out, and it's arguably one of the best made of his career. It still manages to make enough mistakes to limit its appeal, though. Chuck stars as a Chicago cop caught in the middle of a bloody drug war between the Italian mafia and Colombian drug lords. He's also having trouble at work, where a burn-out veteran detective involved in a bad shooting incident asks Chuck for support, which he denies, and most of the force turns against him because of it. Co-starring Henry Silva as the head Colombian, Bert Remsen as the police captain, Molly Hagan as a mobster's daughter, John Mahoney, and Dennis Farina in his largest role to date. He was still on the job as a real Chicago policeman at the time, but he would turn to acting full-time the following year, with a major role in Manhunter and the lead in the TV series Crime Story.

The mood is much grittier than in most Norris films, and the Chicago location shooting adds a lot of atmosphere. Much of the story is more than a little cliched, though, and the finale takes things into 80's action film absurdity. Several of the earlier action scenes are well mounted, a trademark for director Andrew Davis (Under Siege, The Fugitive).

Sgt Eddie Cusack , Chuck Norris , is a tough cop who makes his own rules in the noisy city of Chicago , as he faces off warring mob families , led by Henry Silva and Mike Genovese , and corrupt police officers , while his own comrades shun him . At the same time , he saves a damsel in distress , Molly Hagan , who has been kidnapped by an extremely villain mobster.

This thrilling film has a lot of killings , shootouts , car pursuits , violence , profanity and no-nonsense action . Its is a ¨Dirty Harry¨ formula action movie with the great Chuck as a loner on Chicago police force . Here Norris proved to be the heir to Chuck Norris as the king of the vigilante movie , as Norris acts as a judge , jury and executioner ; besides , he does his own stunts . Norris is caught in a middle of a gang war , but is helped by a shooter-machine called ¨Prowler¨ and he then takes the law on his own hands and smack down baddies . Norrris steals the show as a merciless police officer , giving a right-on-target acting and as one army man . At the American box-office, at the time this movie was first released in cinemas, this film became the third most financially successful Chuck Norris picture after Missing in action (1984) and Delta Force . Support cast is pretty well , such as Henry Silva , Ron Dean , John Mahoney , Allen Hamilton , Bert Remsen , and Dennis Farina was actually working as a real life police officer in Chicago, Illinois during the production of this picture. Actress Molly Hagan and actor Joe Guzaldo both received 'introducing' credits.

It contains an atmospheric Musical score by by David Michael Frank . Evocative and colorful cinematography by Frank Tidy .The motion picture was well directed by Andrew Davis , a filmmaker with a reputation for directing intelligent thrillers . He has directed good films as ¨Above the law¨, ¨The final terror¨ , ¨Chain reaction¨ , ¨Collateral damage¨ , ¨The Package¨ and Davis went on to direct 1992's top grossing picture, Under siege (1992), for Warner Brothers, a classic action film teaming Steven Seagal with Tommy Lee Jones . Being his greatest hit ¨The fugitive¨ , this film received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and earned Tommy Lee Jones a Best Supporting Actor award. Andrew frequently casts 'Ron Dean', Joseph F. Kosala, Joe Pantoliano and his father 'Nathan Davis' . He often directs in his city : Chicago .