BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA
Between 1972 and 1985, six-time world karate
champion Chuck Norris made a total of twelve films—ten
of which he had the lead role—which established him
as a martial arts movie hero. Along the way, some of these films, such as Missing in Action, helped to soften his karate hero image and strengthen his action
hero one. For his next film, Norris would tackle a project which further helped
to tone down his martial arts image and move him more into the realm of pure
action movie star. That project was 1985’s Code
of Silence.
Solidly directed by Andrew Davis (1993’s The Fugitive), Code of Silence deals with Eddie Cusack, a Chicago detective who
becomes an outcast from the force when he refuses to remain silent about one of
his fellow officers, the alcoholic Cragie, who, among other things, is
responsible for shooting an innocent teenage boy and planting a weapon on the
corpse. Now, Cusack must act alone as he attempts to rescue Diana, a greedy
mafia man’s innocent daughter, from ruthless drug gang leader Luis Comacho.
Code of Silence was originally
written for Clint Eastwood in 1979. It was to be the fourth film in the iconic Dirty Harry series. When Clint passed on
the project, the script languished until 1984 when Orion Pictures decided to
make the movie with Chuck and Andrew Davis. San Francisco became Chicago and
Harry Callahan became Eddie Cusack. Code
of Silence is a pretty engaging action film/crime drama. Solid
characterizations as well as a nice, dramatic subplot help to suck the audience
in which makes the action hero heroics even more exciting to watch. Director
Davis films several heart-pumping, adrenaline rush sequences such as Chuck
pursuing a villain atop a fast-moving train; not to mention the very
well-directed (and well-edited) opening sting operation. A Chicago native,
Davis also shoots the film in such a way that he really gives his audience a
feel of the city itself.
The movie is also greatly helped along by its
incredible assortment of talented actors. Naturally, we have the always
reliable Chuck Norris who very believably plays Eddie Cusack as a man dedicated
to his job. It goes without saying that Chuck is totally convincing as a tough
guy who can more than handle himself. As usual, his low key performance and
soft voice (I don’t think he ever raises his voice in this film) nicely balances
his flying fists and feet.
Next, we have the great Henry Silva (1960’s Oceans 11, 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate) who oozes evil as the no-nonsense, icy
drug lord Luis Comacho. Film buffs will easily recognize talented actor (and
talented casting director) Bert Remsen (McCabe
& Mrs. Miller, Fuzz) who plays gruff Commander Kates. Next up is Molly
Hagan (Some Kind of Wonderful, TV’s Herman’s Head) who shines as the tough,
but vulnerable Diana. The late, great and Chicago born Dennis Farina (TV’s Crime Story, Midnight Run) was a Chicago
cop before becoming a professional actor. Farina brings a lot of humor to his
role of Detective Dorato which helps to balance out all the action and drama.
Also, Mike Genovese (Harlem Knights, TV’s
ER) is well cast as greedy mafia man
Tony Luna; Nathan Davis (Dunston Checks
In, Poltergeist III), who also happens to be the director’s father, does well
as mafia head Felix Scalese; Ralph Foody (The
Blues Brothers, Home Alone) is spot on as burnt out, alcoholic Detective
Cragie; Joe Guzaldo (Chuck’s Hero and the
Terror) is memorable as Chuck’s conflicted partner, and Ron Dean, who went
on to appear in several films for director Davis such as Above the Law and The
Fugitive, is wholly convincing as tough cop Detective Brennan. Joseph
Kosala, who effectively portrays Lieutenant Kobas, was actually a retired
sergeant of the Chicago Police Department and, while on the set, helped out
immensely by acting as the film’s technical advisor. Kosala would go on to
appear in five more films for Davis. Lastly, fans of Frasier will enjoy a humorous cameo by the late John Mahoney.
Code of Silence has been released on
a Region 1 Blu-ray by Kino Lorber, It is presented in its original 1.85:1
aspect ratio and the beautiful HD transfer boasts sharp, crystal clear images
(I’ve never seen this film look this good) and terrific sound. The disc is also
loaded with special features. We are treated to brand new interviews with co-screenwriter
Michael Butler, actors Ron Dean and Molly Hagen, and composer David Michael
Frank. There is also an informative and entertaining audio commentary by
director Andrew Davis. Last, but not least, the disc not only contains the
original theatrical trailer, but trailers for other Norris classics An Eye for an Eye (1981), Hero and the Terror (1988) and Delta Force 2 (1990) as well as the trailer for Andrew Davis’ 1989 thriller The Package. If you’re looking for a 1980s
action film with more going for it than just exciting car chases and shootouts,
I highly recommend Code of Silence.
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(Ernie Magnotta is the author of "Halloween: The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series"). Click here to order from Amazon.)