Review of Code of Silence

This is, gladly, the only Chuck Norris movie i have ever seen. This film, i believe, is acclaimed by fans as one of his best, so i most certainly don't want to see anything that could be even worse. It is possibly the most formulaic 1980s cop movie i have ever seen. Hackneyed phrases akin to "I'll have your badge for this!" and "Dammit, Cusak!" are sprinkled liberally throughout the script. The Police Chief character is a walking cliché. The tension between the Columbian drug dealers and the Mafia is never explored or explained very well. It seems like the writer just used the situation as a convenient backdrop for a pretty girl being in danger. It could have been about anything. The big finale is far too predictable; the typical one-man-kills-every-last-criminal gunfight scenario, which is the inevitable climax of all such movies. The direction is average. No more than competent. Some of the fight sequences are quite terribly shot/choreographed (eg on top of the tram) to the point where a parody of such scenes would be redundant. They just look sloppy and very unrealistic. Chuck Norris shows off some pretty impressive kung fu moves in the bar fight, but this is about the only high point. Pity there wasn't more action, as his acting is pretty horrible. He just pulls a tough-guy scowl and mumbles. Not recommended. A very clichéd and run of the mill 80s cop movie.