Code of Silence (1985 film)
Code of Silence is a 1985 American action thriller film[3] directed by Andrew Davis and starring Chuck Norris, Henry Silva, Dennis Farina and Molly Hagan. It was released in the United States on May 3, 1985.[4]
Code of Silence
- Michael Butler
- Dennis Shryack
- Mike Gray
- Michael Butler
- Dennis Shryack
Raymond Wagner
- Christopher Holmes
- Peter Parasheles
Orion Pictures
- May 3, 1985
100 minutes
United States
English
$7 million[1]
$20,345,561[2]
It was an atypical film for Norris, whose previous ones had been known more for his martial arts skills. A crime drama, it was filmed on location in Chicago with a few subplots. It features Norris as Sgt. Eddie Cusack, a streetwise plainclothes officer who takes down a crime czar responsible for officers being wounded in a botched drug raid. In the film's climax, Norris teams up with a crime-fighting robot named "Prowler."
Dennis Farina was an actual Chicago police officer during the making of this film, moonlighting before becoming a full-time actor when cast in the leading role of Michael Mann's 1986 television series Crime Story.
Davis said the film "made a lot of money and I got pegged as an action director."[5]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Screenwriters Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack originally wrote this on July 12, 1979 for Warner Bros. as Dirty Harry IV: Code of Silence.[6] When it wasn't made there, the script was briefly in the possession of Canadian producer Gene Slott, who was looking to make it on June 18, 1980.[1] but it was canceled due to making Sudden Impact on April 26, 1983. By May 10, 1983, Orion Pictures planned that Code of Silence would be released by May 3, 1985. originally Kris Kristofferson was the studio's first choice to play the main protagonist Sgt. Eddie Cusack, but due to schedule conflicts, he turned it down.
On August 14, 1984, it was announced a film would be made starring Chuck Norris, set in Chicago.[7] The producers reportedly paid $800,000 for rights to the script.[8] It was set from October 1, 1984 to October 7, 1984.
Filming[edit]
It was the first film for Molly Hagan, who had just finished drama school. She later recalled when shooting a scene after her character's family had been wiped out Norris thought his character should not hug or comfort her. Hagan said he should because "if you don’t, you’re an asshole." This caused tension and Davis said Hagan had to apologize because "Mr. Norris really identifies with his character... So I go out and apologize to Chuck Norris. He just looked at me like I was insane. I thought he was still really nice to me... I think part of the problem was that I was really young and who the fuck am I to tell anyone? I don’t think it's necessarily that he was a star. He's a very nice man, and he was terrific on the set. I think I had this attitude that was really not appropriate."[9]
Dennis Farina knew Davis' father Nate "so I felt very comfortable with Andy", he later said. "There was that Chicago connection where I knew he wasn't gonna lead me astray. He treated me so kindly because he knew I was a novice and kind of watched after me. And Chuck Norris was just a delight to work with, a hell of a nice guy. That film was a nice break for me."[10]
"When you talk about actors, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier are actors", said Norris. "They can do anything. Then you have your personalities, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, and me. When they deviate too much from what audiences expect, they don't do very well, do they?"[11]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The film was released by Orion Pictures in early May 1985. It debuted at number 1[12] with an opening weekend total of $5,512,461.[2]
According to Film Comment the film earned $8,9 million by the end of the year.[13]
The film went on to gross a total of $20,345,361, making it the second most successful Chuck Norris vehicle at the time behind Missing in Action (1984).
Critical response[edit]
The film received generally positive reviews.[14][15][16] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively collected 20 reviews and judged 68% of them to be positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[17] Metacritic gave the film a score of 64% based on reviews from 6 critics.[18] It is considered by fans and critics as Chuck Norris's best film to date. Vincent Canby of The New York Times said "it could well prove to be his breakout picture".[19]
Roger Ebert, in his Chicago Sun-Times review of May 3, 1985, wrote: "This is a heavy-duty thriller, a slick, energetic movie with good performances and a lot of genuine human interest...a stylish urban action picture with sensational stunts." He gave the film three-and-a-half stars of a possible four.[20] Janet Maslin's review in The New York Times on the same day alluded to the film being "Norris's bid for a wider audience, and it succeeds to a considerable degree."[16] Gene Siskel in the Chicago Tribune also praised the film, writing: "Chuck Norris takes a big leap in his film career with Code of Silence...it's been a long time between cop pictures that have any kind of gritty feel. Clint Eastwood's last two Dirty Harry films were cartoonish by comparison."[14]
The film earned Norris his best reviews to date. "I really appreciate the acclaim", he said after the film's release. "I've worked hard these last nine years to get critics to look at me in a different light. They're usually more concerned with things like Passage to India, and they've hit me hard all these years, especially in the beginning. I'm really excited, to say the least."[21] Director Andrew David said: "Chuck was easy to work with and very supportive," he recalls. "I think he's proud of the movie, and it was a big hit. It also put me into the world of being an action director, which I guess I'm considered even though I've also done other kinds of movies."[22]
Year-end lists[edit]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: