Código do Silêncio

This came out after he had made some increasingly better films, which also made more $$ than earlier foot-in-face efforts...His stuff like 'Lone Wolf McQuade' and 'Missing in Action I and II' were hits, weren't terrible and showed him on the rise. Then came this in the spring of '85, it made a lotta $$$ and was actually seen as starting a new phase to his career. It got good reviews too.

It was seen as being like a good Bronson or Eastwood flick.

Then he fell off the wagon with two more hits-Invasion USA and Delta Force, before tanking with the Firewalker and Missing III. Never recovered save for the '93- TV series. That at least is okay. Its too bad things went that way, for as Code shows, it didn't have to happen.

This is a good flick, I liked the action, Henry Silva is an effective baddie, the El-train stunts are fun, the foot in face stuff not too insulting to yer intelligence, Norris seems to show some real concern for the young gal he is protecting, etc. You have to also like the corrupt cop angle here. They didn't blow that either.

This one is good and is better remembered than you would think.

*** outta ****

Henry

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).

During the 1980's, Chuck Norris was a big star who starred in many sub par action flicks. Code of Silence(1985) is one of the raw exceptions where the action and story blends together. Code of Silence's story seems to take its roots from the Italian police thrillers of the 1970's. The locales of Chicago are beautifully shown.

Code of Silence(1985) along with Aliens(1986) contained some of the most slam bang action sequences during that period. There are two remarkable scenes that define the movie. First, the fight on top of the elavated subway. Second, the climax where Chuck takes on an entire group of villains on his own.

The sub plot involving a corrupt cop who covers up an accidential shooting adds some realism to the film. The title refers to the code that policemen uphold among themselves. Code of Silence(1985) deals with police corruption in a frank and honest many that many action specialist in the 1990's would be afraid to tackle. This is the only Police thriller I've seen where no one helps the main hero.

The director, Andrew Davis has created characters who always fight against corruption...E.G., Above the Law(Nico), The Package(Agent), Under Siege(Casey), and The Fugitive(Richard). Henry Silva is fantastic as the cool and cold blooded Luis Comacho. Dennis Farina is his usual sarcastic self in the role of a policeman named Dorato. The funniest scene is when two people attempt to rob a bar that's full of Police officers.

This movie was made right at the time I call "the peak" of Chuck Norris's career. I was really quite surprised at the 5.6 rating this movie got from viewers. As far as Norris goes, this is really good stuff. He uses many classic one liners, always staying a step ahead of Victor Camacho and "Crazy" Tony Luna's bunch. If you enjoy the "honest cop" movies, this should be near the top of your list. I would rate it right there with Clint Eastwood's performance in "Magnum Force". To top it all off, the soundtrack is really a typical 80's theme. I really wish someone would release the music from some of Chuck's movies, like Delta Force.

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.