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Code of Silence (1985 film)

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Code of Silence
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrew Davis
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Michael Butler
  • Dennis Shryack
Produced byRaymond Wagner
Starring
CinematographyFrank Tidy
Edited by
  • Christopher Holmes
  • Peter Parasheles
Music byDavid Michael Frank
Production
company
Distributed byOrion Pictures
Release date
  • May 3, 1985 (1985-05-03)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[1]
Box office$20,345,561[2]

Code of Silence is a 1985 American action thriller film[3] directed by Andrew Davis and starring Chuck Norris, Henry Silva and Molly Hagan. Norris plays Eddie Cusack, a streetwise Chicago police sergeant who is caught up in a gang war between a vicious Colombian drug lord and the American mafia, while also dealing with corruption in his own department.

The film was released by Orion Pictures on May 3, 1985, and was both a critical and commercial success.[4] Andrew Davis said the film "made a lot of money and I got pegged as an action director."[5]

Plot

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In Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, police Sergeant Eddie Cusack leads a sting operation to catch a gang of Colombian cocaine traffickers led by Luis Comacho. The plan goes wrong when the exchange is ambushed by gunmen disguised as painters, led by mafioso "Crazy" Tony Luna. Several Colombians are killed or wounded, Cusack's partner Dorato is wounded, while two of Luna's men are killed. Cragie, an aging and alcoholic cop, inadvertently kills an unarmed bystander and plants a gun to claim self-defense. Cragie is placed on administrative leave pending a hearing.

Fearing reprisal from the Comacho, Luna leaves town and asks his associate Lou Gamiani to have guard his daughter, Diana, a young artist. Meanwhile, Cusack is ostracized by the rest of the department after refusing to sign a petition to have Cragie cleared. He is saddled with Cragie's rookie partner, Kopalas, who witnessed Cragie planting the gun but refuses to testify against him.

The Comachos carry out a string of reprisal killings against the Lunas, gunning down his entire family while posed as food vendors. Gamiani is stabbed to death by thugs who try to kidnap Diana, but Cusack narrowly rescues her after a chase through an L train. Cusack places Diana in a safe house with retired cop Ted Pirelli, his father's former partner.

At Cragie's hearing, Cusack testifies truthfully that he cannot comment on the incident in question because he arrived after the fact. However, it is revealed that Cusack once submitted a transfer order to have Cragie moved out of his unit. The other officers resent Cusack for breaking the unwritten "code of silence" which says officers should never report the errors or misconduct of their colleagues. Only his former partner Dorato remains loyal.

Pirelli is killed and Diana is kidnapped. Cusack races toward the Comacho hangout and puts out a radio call for backup, but due to the hearing, other officers refuse to respond. He tries to fight off Luis and other Comacho gang members by himself, but is overpowered and beaten. Luis tells Cusack he wants Tony Luna, otherwise Diana dies, painfully and slowly.

Dorato tips off Cusack that Tony Luna is lying low in Wisconsin, returning to Chicago that night by train. Luna realizes he's being tailed by Cusack and a car chase ensues, ending in his death. Cusack, in need of a partner, returns to police headquarters and retrieves the Prowler - an experimental, armed police drone, single-handedly launching a full-scale attack on the Comachos' lair in East Chicago. Other officers berate Cusack for his actions. Kopalas, fed up, tells everyone off and reveals Cragie's duplicity.

Cusack takes down the remaining Comacho members. Luis Comacho, wounded, enters a bathroom where Diana is bound. He raises a hammer to kill her, but Cusack shoots and kills him. Backup arrives at last. Cusack places Diana in the care of an ambulance. His commander asks if will he come in the next day, and Cusack, finally having regained the respect from his fellow officers, agrees. Dorato gives him a ride back to headquarters.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The screenplay by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack was originally intended as a fourth entry in the Dirty Harry series.[7] When Warner Bros. passed the on script, it changed hands several times[1] before being purchased by Orion Pictures in 1983. The producers reportedly paid $800,000 for rights to the script.[8] The lead role was first offered to Kris Kristofferson, but he passed due to schedule conflicts. Several more well-known actors passed on the part, including Jeff Bridges, Charles Bronson, Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Jon Voight and Kurt Russell.

On August 14, 1984, it was announced a film would be made starring Chuck Norris, set in Chicago.[9] At the time, the project was an atypical one for Norris, who was known for his roles in martial arts films. Norris later credited the film with helping legitimize his film career.[10]

Casting

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This 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."[11]

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. 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."[12]

"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?"[13]

Filming

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Filming took place on-location in locations around Chicago. Andrew Davis, a Chicago native, insisted on keeping as much of the production inside the city as possible.[14] Locations included Uptown, the Lincoln Park Zoo, Graceland Cemetery, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Wells Street Bridge, and Chicago Union Station.

Reception

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Box office

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The film was released by Orion Pictures in early May 1985. It debuted at number 1[15] 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.[16]

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

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The film received generally positive reviews.[17][18][19] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively collected 20 reviews and judged 68% of them to be positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[20] Metacritic gave the film a score of 64% based on reviews from 6 critics.[21] 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".[22]

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.[23] 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."[19] 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."[17]

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."[10]

Director Andrew Davis 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."[24]

Year-end lists

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The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Slott has "Code Of Silence", a $7,000,000 thriller about a cop". Variety. varietyultimate.com. June 18, 1980. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Code of Silence". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  3. ^ "Code of Silence (1985) Review". cityonfire.com. April 8, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Action star Chuck Norris an intelligent Rambo". Toronto Star. 1986-02-11. Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
  5. ^ "Filmmakers on Film Andrew Davis". Telegraph. October 2003.
  6. ^ Barnes, Mike (2022-02-01). "Bob Wall, Martial Arts Expert Who Fought Bruce Lee in Films, Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  7. ^ "Dirty Harry IV: Code of silence". cocatalog.loc.gov. July 12, 1979. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  8. ^ Ron Base (Feb 11, 1986). "Action star Chuck Norris an intelligent Rambo". Toronto Star (FIN ed.). p. F4.
  9. ^ "Sneed & Lavin INC.: On the road to Dallas...". Chicago Tribune. Aug 14, 1984. p. 12.
  10. ^ a b Klemesrud, Judy (1 Sep 1985). "CHUCK NORRIS -- STRONG, SILENT AND POPULAR". The New York Times. p. A.14.
  11. ^ "Molly Hagan looks back at Offending Chuck Norris". Paste Magazine. September 2016.
  12. ^ "Interview with Dennis Farina". The Hollywood Interview. February 2008.
  13. ^ Maslin, Janet (27 Apr 1985). "Norris no Olivier but he keeps busy". The Globe and Mail. p. E.3.
  14. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  15. ^ "CODE OF SILENCE' STILL NO. 1 AT MOVIE BOX OFFICE". Boston Globe. 1985-05-15. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
  16. ^ Thompson, Anne. "Tenth Annual Grosses Gloss". Film Comment. Vol. 22, no. 2 (Mar 1986). New York. pp. 64–67.
  17. ^ a b Gene Siskel (1985-05-03). "Chuck Norris Breaks The Stereotype In 'Code Of Silence'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  18. ^ "Code of Silence". Variety. 1984-12-31. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  19. ^ a b Maslin, Janet (1985-05-03). "SCREEN: CHUCK NORRIS IS A CHICAGO POLICE INSPECTOR IN 'CODE OF SILENCE'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  20. ^ "Code of Silence (1985)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Code of Silence". Metacritic.
  22. ^ Canby, Vincent (May 12, 1985). "FILM VIEW – CHUCK NORRIS – THE PUBLIC HAS MADE HIM A STAR". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  23. ^ Ebert, Roger (May 3, 1985). "Code of Silence". Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved March 6, 2020 – via RogerEbert.com.
  24. ^ "'The Fugitive' director says Harrison Ford needed 'a little convincing' to match wits with Tommy Lee Jones in the 1993 action classic". 4 August 2023.
  25. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-20.
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