Code of Silence

Davis' pacy direction, years before The Fugitive pushed him up the Hollywood pecking order, makes this a better than usual entry in the glum Norris filmography, getting good value out of the Chicago locations as big Chuck's no-nonsense cop wipes out warring gangs and cleans up the police department while he's at it. Screenwriters Butler and Shryack penned The Gauntlet and Pale Rider for Clint Eastwood, and it's possible to imagine the latter's monolithic, taciturn heroism drained of all interesting character in Norris' purely functional presence. The problem is that Norris is such a boring performer, it's hardly edifying watching him waste assorted scumbags.