Chuck Norris only came to star in his best movies after Clint Eastwood passed on both. The Way of the Dragon’s Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris battle brought the latter to the attention of action fans, and Norris became part of a wave of martial artists who came to dominate the genre during the 1970s and 1980s, alongside the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme. While the Missing in Action trilogy and Walker, Texas Ranger are his most famous projects, 1985’s Code of Silence is arguably Chuck’s best movie.
This thriller was helmed by The Fugitive’s Andrew Davis and cast Norris as a Chicago cop fighting a drug lord whilst being shunned by his department for rightfully accusing another cop of corruption. There are only five Norris films with “Fresh” Rotten Tomatoes ratings, with Code of Silence being one with a healthy 68%. It features a better-than-average screenplay for a Chuck Norris action movie, and even tackles some weighty themes; it’s also a project Norris inherited from a certain Mr Clint Eastwood.
Clint Eastwood Passed On Chuck Norris’ Best Movies Lone Wolf McQuade & Code Of Silence
Clint’s loss was Chuck’s gain
In fact, Code of Silence and Norris’ 1983 action adventure Lone Wolf McQuade both have Eastwood ties. These two projects were brought to Clint first, with Eastwood passing on the latter when it was simply called Lone Wolf. It’s easy to picture Clint in the lead role of the taciturn Texas Ranger McQuade – to the point where the character even wields a .44 Magnum like Dirty Harry. When he passed, Norris was considered the ideal replacement and the script was tailored to his strengths, including adding more fight sequences.
It’s not a controversial take to suggest Clint is a far superior actor to Chuck, whose relentless stoicism undermines the more dramatic moments of Code of Silence.
Norris was probably a better fit for the kind of film Lone Wolf McQuade became, but Eastwood starring in Code of Silence would have made the movie even better. It’s not a controversial take to suggest Clint is a far superior actor to Chuck, whose relentless stoicism undermines the more dramatic moments of the film. Director Davis wisely surrounds his leading man with supporting players like Dennis Farina, Henry Silva and Molly Hagan to do the heavy lifting in the acting department.
Critics tend to dismiss Chuck Norris’ filmography, but Lone Wolf McQuade and Code of Silence are often highlighted as his best efforts from this period. There is fun to be had with the dumb but fun blockbusters like Delta Force, but Code of Silence and Lone Wolf McQuade balance solid setpieces with likable characters and chewy dialogue.
Code Of Silence Was Almost Dirty Harry 4
Dirty Harry felt a Sudden Impact instead
Code of Silence was penned by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack, with the specific intention of it becoming a Dirty Harry movie. The duo had previously written The Gauntlet for Eastwood and would go on to pen his 1985 Western comeback, Pale Rider. Butler and Shryack wrote Dirty Harry IV: Code of Silence in 1978 for Warner Bros, though Eastwood passed on the project. It bounced around as a solo project in later years, with everyone from Kurt Russell to Charles Bronson being approached.
It’s unknown how much changed once Norris signed on, but outside of the character’s name and switching out San Francisco for Chicago, it could still function as a Dirty Harry story. Sudden Impact became the fourth Dirty Harry instead, where Harry chases after a victim of assault who guns down her attackers one by one. The sequel is a curious blend of a traditional Dirty Harry sequel with a female take on Death Wish and is the darkest of the series.
… Sudden Impact is also famous for Harry’s “Make My Day” catchphrase, which is sometimes misattributed to the original.
That said, Sudden Impact is also famous for Harry’s “Make My Day” catchphrase, which is sometimes misattributed to the original. Sudden Impact was a huge box office hit when it arrived too, grossing over $67 million worldwide in 1983 (via The Numbers).
Lone Wolf McQuade & Code Of Silence Made Chuck Norris A Legit Movie Star
Chuck Norris leveled up with the success of his Clint castoffs
Lone Wolf McQuade was quietly a hugely important film for Norris; it marked the first time he donned his trademark beard, and the fact it was more of a traditional action film than a martial arts flick gave it a wider reach. Still, it wasn’t until Code of Silence that Norris received both good reviews and healthy box office, which is why it’s sometimes regarded as a career apex. Certainly, if he had found more scripts of Code of Silence’s caliber, he might have evolved into more character-driven projects.
Instead, he spent much of the decade fronting B-movies for production company Cannon, where he wasn’t required to do much more than kick or shoot people, and say the occasional quip. While making the move from martial arts star to mainstream actor, Chuck Norris modeled himself on actors like Charles Bronson and Clint, as they often played variations of the same kind of role. Thus, it makes sense he would do his best work with scripts Clint Eastwood passed on – it’s only a shame he didn’t receive more of them.