It it hadn't been for the rather silly ending, I might have scored this film a 7, as it's generally well made. But the end...it was pretty ridiculous.

"Code of Silence" is a Chuck Norris film that is unusual in that he doesn't do that much martial arts compared to other movies I've seen him do. Instead, it's more a cop film...a bit like Dirty Harry in style...but with a bit of kicking...just a bit. The story has two main themes--a gang war which erupts because one idiot gangster arranges a hit on some rival gangsters...which occurs just before the police raid the joint. During this raid comes another plot...a cop accidentally shoots a teen and then plants a gun on him...and the police force give Norris' character the cold shoulder when he testifies against the creep.

So let's talk about the ending. Like a Van Damme or Seagal movie, Norris is ridiculous in that he takes on an entire gang in a warehouse and wins!! They have tons of weapons...and he comes with a police robotic tank!!! The whole thing really cheapens an otherwise decent cop film. Don't believe me...see it for yourself.

An undistinguished action vehicle for Chuck Norris, this time playing a maverick cop (a real stretch for him) who has to battle a street war between rival drug dealers. What his movie lacks in an original plot it makes up for with an intelligent script which somewhat surprisingly focuses on characterisation instead of macho one-liners, and good pacing and direction from Andrew Davis, here cutting his teeth on the genre which would later serve him well in the likes of UNDER SIEGE.

Norris plays the typical tough-yet-likable hardman character he always seems to play, except that he's less reliant on the martial arts here. The physical fights that do ensue are generally unexciting and limp, the shoot-outs and gun battles more convincingly portrayed. Henry Silva (NICO: ABOVE THE LAW) is the chief villain, and is very good as per usual; there aren't many actors who manage to look as genuinely evil as Silva - except Christopher Walken perhaps. Dennis Farina appears in a minor role as a buddy of Norris, and the supporting cast are rounded out by passable actors and actresses who put in solid, if unmemorable, performances.

The movie draws in drug dealing and battles between rival gangs with a subplot involving police corruption, specifically an officer who accidentally shoots an innocent bystander. The various plot strands are woven together well, and there are a couple of set-pieces (like Norris taking on an entire bar) which certainly don't disappoint. The violent ending is predictable and pretty clichéd, but executed with a certain style. This is routine but solid stuff from Norris.

Eddie Cusack (Chuck Norris) is a Chicago cop who is out there battling drug dealers. We open on an undercover operation that goes terribly wrong. It marks the beginning of an all-out drug war. And caught in the middle is the innocent daughter Diana (Molly Hagan) of drug kingpin Tony Luna.

It is perhaps the best film with Chuck Norris as the lead. It is well written and compelling. The action is old fashion well done. It's a time before all the HK wirework starts in Hollywood. The stunts are good. Even the 80s style is fun to watch. Although with an 80s movie, they throw in a crime fighting robot. Even that is fun to see. The title refers to Eddie taking the stand against a bad cop on a bad shoot refusing to respect the unofficial Code of Silence. It happens halfway thru the movie although I think it'd be better to do it earlier. Then he'd be the lone wolf for more of the movie.