Code of Silence *** (1985, Chuck Norris, Henry Silva, Bert Remsen, Molly Hagen, Joseph Guzaldo, Dennis Farina) – Classic Movie Review 12,785

Andrew Davis’s fast-paced 1985 thriller Code of Silence stars Chuck Norris as a renegade Chicago cop who takes the law into his own hands in his one-man battle against warring drug gangs and corruption in the police department.

Director Andrew Davis’s 1985 thriller Code of Silence stars Chuck Norris as Eddie Cusack, a renegade Chicago cop who takes the law into his own hands in his one-man battle against warring drug gangs, as well as against corruption in the police department.

Code of Silence is as fast-paced production-line actioner, slightly above average for this kind of thing, with Norris stepping up a rung or two from his usual martial arts fare into the strong, silent footsteps of Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood.

It is very tolerable for action fans, though the predictable plot and bargain-basement script by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Mike Gray continually let it down.

Short and stocky action man Norris was world middleweight karate champion from 1968 to 1974 – he got his start in kung fu movies after teaching stunts to the stars.

The TV version edits some of the strong language and violence.

Code of Silence (1985, Henry Silva).

Also in the cast are Henry Silva as Luis Comacho, Bert Remsen as Commander Kates, Nathan Davis as Felix Scalese, Mike Genovese as Tony Luna, Molly Hagen as Diana Luna, Ralph Foody as Cragie, Allen Hamilton as Pirelli, Joseph Guzaldo as Nick Kopalas, and Dennis Farina as Dorato.

The highly professional action expert Andrew Davis went on to make the 1996 Keanu Reeves conspiracy thriller film Chain Reaction, filmed in the freezing winter of 1995-96 in Chicago, the hometown of director Davis, where he also made Code of Silence (1985), Above the Law (1988), The Package (1989) and The Fugitive (1993), his most notable film.

Davis made his directorial debut in 1978 with the independent musical Stony Island, followed by the 1983 thriller Campsite Massacre. His other directorial credits include Collateral Damage (2002) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; A Perfect Murder (1998) starring Michael Douglas: Chain Reaction (1996) starring Keanu Reeves: Steal Big Steal Little (1995) starring Andy Garcia; Holes (2011) starring Shia Labeouf; and The Guardian (2006) with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.

Henry Silva was born on September 23, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, and died on September 14, 2022, aged 95.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,785

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