A lot of fans seem to regard Code of Silence one of the best films he has made. If not THE BEST, that is quite high praise for a film I heard very little about. I don't think I have even seen it once, until now. Unfortunately, I didn't experience the same viewing experience as these fans.
I will try to explain, why I think that Code of Silence is not that good of a film. Let alone one of the best that Chuck Norris has made. First, the film has severe pacing issues. It takes forever for the film to get to the point. Take the opening sequence for example. It takes up around 16 minutes or so (including the credits). Granted, what happens in this scene, does set up the main plot and sub-plot. Only it very easily could have been reduced to a 5 or 6 minute scene and the outcome would have been the same. How do I know this? Because almost every show and film that features a sting or undercover operation plays out the same. Right from when key players were introduced, I already knew what was going to happen. Had this scene been used for possible plot twists and turns later, then maybe it would have made sense to pay so much attention to it. Now, it doesn't one bit. The outcome of this scene is that a drug war is upon Eddie Cusack and the police force of Chicago. Henry Silva's character wants revenge on Tony Luna and everyone in his family. A bit of an exaggerated reaction, to be honest, but of course this is going to lead to kick ass action, right? So, not that big of a deal.
Sadly, like with the opening sequence, it takes Eddie a very long time to truly get into action. I am deliberately not mentioning some of the action sequences in between, since they are so laughably bad and boring, especially compared to what Chuck Norris known for. He does kick here and there somewhat, but for the most part the martial arts is absent. Let me ask you. Why would I watch a Chuck Norris film that barely contains martial arts? I mean, that literally is the one reason we watch his films in the first place. Sure, as a huge gun-fu fan, I definitely would like to witness Norris going that route. And he does kind of at the end, which in my eyes, is a huge redeeming factor. That and his trusty comrade in arms, The Prowler. No, not the villain from the Marvel Universe. But a one army robot of which is said that it's going to be the future. And yes, it was amazing!
I do need to mention the sub-plot, since it is interesting. However, it's one that feels like it belongs to a Clint Eastwood film and not a Chuck Norris one. Since that requires some heavy-duty acting and let's be real, Chuck can play Chuck and that's about it. His expressions are always the same. Except maybe in Sidekicks he shows of some range. In this case, though, the plot concerning a corrupt cop and colleagues siding with that corrupt cop against him, could and should have been the main plot. But perhaps they realized that Norris wouldn't be able to handle the story. Actually, he didn't really need to. Dennis Farina could have helped out. This whole sub-plot is used to motivate Cusack to go against the Comacho family himself (and The Prowler).
Overall, Code of Silence is not bad, but it simply doesn't deliver enough of what I expect Chuck Norris to deliver. The finale does redeem a lot, but not enough to classify this as one of his best.
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