Code of Silence (1985) Orion/Action RT: 101 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, drugs) Director: Andrew Davis Screenplay: Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Mike Gray Music: David Michael Frank Cinematography: Frank Tidy Release date: May 3, 1985 (US) Cast: Chuck Norris, Henry Silva, Bert Remsen, Mike Genovese, Nathan Davis, Ralph Foody, Allen Hamilton, Ron Henriquez, Joseph Guzaldo, Molly Hagan, Dennis Farina, Ron Dean, Wilbert Bradley, Gene Barge, Mario Nieves, Miquel Nino, Ronnie Baron, Joe Kosala, Lou Damiani. Box Office: $20.3M (US)
Rating: ****
Now this is how to do a proper cop movie! Code of Silence is a slick, thrilling, heavy-duty actioner that dares to serve up an interesting story and characters with more than one dimension along with the usual fights, chases and shootouts. It would have been easy for Andrew Davis (Above the Law) to churn out another routine “cops vs. drug dealers” movie, but he’s better than that. He delivers a genuinely exciting cop movie with style and intelligence.
Code of Silence stars Chuck Norris (Missing in Action) as Sgt. Eddie Cusack, a tough Chicago cop known for his impeccable reputation and no-BS approach to his job. He’s in charge of a major sting operation designed to bust up a Colombian drug ring led by vicious Louis Comacho (Silva, Sharky’s Machine). Before they can move in for the bust, they’re beaten to the punch by Italian mobsters who gun down everybody in the room (including an informant) and steal all the drugs and money. This ignites a gang war between the Colombians and Italians.
In a related subplot, rookie detective Kopalas (Guzaldo, Hero and the Terror) faces an ethical dilemma after witnessing his older, alcoholic partner Cragie (Foody, Home Alone) plant a gun on a Hispanic teen he accidentally shot and killed. Should he support his partner’s claim of self-defense or tell the truth and risk ostracization? The whole squad rallies behind Cragie. All except for Cusack, that is. He believes that the 30-year veteran poses a danger to the public should he allowed back on the streets. This puts Cusack on the entire Chicago PD’s s*** list.
Meanwhile, things heat up when Comacho has members of mafioso Tony Luna’s (Genovese, Point Break) family killed. They come after his teenage daughter Diana (Hagan, Some Kind of Wonderful), an artist who wants nothing to do with the family business. It falls onto Cusack to protect her.
What makes Code of Silence a true stand-out is the attention the screenplay plays to supporting characters like Cusack’s partner Dorato (Farina, Crime Story), injured during the drug bust gone wrong. He always has a new idea for a can’t-miss business scheme- e.g. alligator farming, mail order Christmas trees, etc. Foody turns in a remarkable performance as a tired old cop who drinks too much, talks too big and gives law enforcement a bad name. Cusack’s CO (Remsen, Eye of the Tiger) isn’t the usual irate commanding officer type forever screaming at Cusack over his outrageous OTT methods that end up costing the city millions in property damage. The writers take characters that would normally be handled perfunctorily and gives them dimension. This is one cop movie that allows its character types to be characters.
Norris gives the best performance of his career in Code of Silence. Sure, he gets to show off his awesome martial arts skills and yes, he becomes a one man army in the final act. However, it is NOT the extent of his performance. Norris has a quietly commanding presence that doesn’t rely on a ton of useless expository dialogue. He’s completely convincing as a street cop who occasionally gets to do superhuman things like fight a bad guy on the roof of an El train. He does get off a few good lines however. The best is when he tells one of Comacho’s guys, “When I want your opinion, I’ll beat it out of you.” You gotta love 80s tough guy dialogue. Silva is similarly great as the suave but savage drug lord who offers to give Cusack a “Colombian necktie” in an early confrontation. Nathan Davis (Poltergeist III) has a couple of solid scenes as a Mafia don that thinks a gang war is a bad idea.
Code of Silence has a few great scenes including one where Norris chases a killer through the Loop in an attempt to save his hostage, Diana. This is where the aforementioned El fight occurs. It’s legitimately thrilling. The movie has a humorous side as well. In one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a cop movie, two not-too-bright skells try to hold up a bar frequented by cops. Did they not case the joint beforehand? How could they NOT know it’s a cop bar? The only hokey part of Code of Silence is the law enforcement robot “Prowler” Cusack uses in the climactic showdown. It’s cool, no question about it, but it feels out of place in a gritty cop flick.
Davis knows his way around an action movie; his filmography also includes Under Siege, The Fugitive and the criminally underappreciated The Package. Being a Chicago native himself, he makes excellent use of the Windy City’s locations. If I may circle back to Prowler for a moment, its appearance in the climax is foreshadowed by a scene where Cusack attends a demonstration of its capabilities. When a movie takes the time to play show and tell with the audience, you know the object will show up again later.
Code of Silence is in my top five cop movies. It accomplishes a lot while it entertains. It proves that Norris CAN act when he wants to. It also proves that action and intelligence are NOT mutually exclusive concepts. They can co-exist. I’m even willing to overlook the silly addition of the robot. It’s GREAT! If any Norris character is deserving of his own franchise, it’s Eddie Cusack. He could have been the successor to the throne vacated by Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry. Then again, what do I know? I’m only the Movie Guy.
