Code of Silence is a 1985 American action thriller film[3] directed by Andrew Davis and starring Chuck Norris.

The cast includes Molly Hagan, Henry Silva, Ralph Foody, Bert Remsen, and Dennis Farina.

In Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, Sergeant Eddie Cusack (Norris) leads a sting operation against a gang but the plan goes awry, resulting in a shootout where several are killed or wounded.

Originally written as a potential fourth Dirty Harry film, the screenplay by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack passed through multiple hands before being purchased by Orion Pictures for $800,000 in 1983.

After several high-profile actors turned down the lead role, Chuck Norris was cast in 1984, marking a departure from his usual martial arts films and helping to legitimize his career.

Molly Hagan, cast straight out of drama school, found the experience formative for her career, while Dennis Farina, then a Chicago police officer, credited the film as a significant break that helped launch his transition into full-time acting.

The film was released by Orion Pictures on May 3, 1985, and received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its slick direction, strong performances, and engaging action.

The film was noted for its heavy-duty thriller elements, stylish urban setting, and sensational stunts, all contributing to its appeal.

In Chicago's Uptown, Sergeant Eddie Cusack leads a sting operation to bust Colombian cocaine traffickers led by Luis Comacho.

The plan is derailed when gunmen disguised as painters, led by mafioso "Crazy" Tony Luna, ambush the exchange.

Amid the chaos, aging cop Cragie kills an unarmed bystander and plants a gun to fake self-defense.

Fearing retaliation, Luna flees and asks his associate Lou Gamiani to protect his artist daughter, Diana.

His commander asks if he’ll report for duty the next day, and Cusack, having regained his peers' respect, agrees.

The screenplay by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack was originally intended as a fourth entry in the Dirty Harry series.

Several more well-known actors passed on the part, including Jeff Bridges, Charles Bronson, Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Jon Voight and Kurt Russell.

"[9] 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.

He explains that it marks a potential turning point for Norris, who projects a quiet competence that shines in the film's meticulously crafted fight sequences and that his restrained performance feels fresh and distinct, a departure from his earlier roles.

[21] 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."

[22] 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.