Traxx (film)

Traxx

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion pictures
Founded	August 17, 1988 (1988-08-17)
Founder	Jerome Gary (director)
Products	Action comedy and adventure comedy movie

Traxx is a 1988 action comedy and adventure comedy movie directed by Jerome Gary. Premiering on August 17, 1988, the film features Shadoe Stevens portraying a mercenary who transitions into a cookie baker. With a production budget of $6.5 million, it was initially planned for theatrical distribution but ultimately released direct to video. In 2012, Traxx was showcased at the Hollywood Theatre located in Portland, Oregon.

The narrative centers on a Texas State Trooper dismissed due to excessive use of force. After spending years as a mercenary, he returns to his Texas hometown to pursue a career as a gourmet cook. To finance this new venture, he accepts contracts from the local mayor and police chief to eliminate criminals in town.

Plot

Set in 1984, the film opens with Traxx, a Texas State Trooper frustrated by criminals evading justice through legal loopholes. He takes matters into his own hands by killing offenders immediately, which draws criticism from his superiors. Following an incident where he kills a surrendering suspect during a hostage situation, Traxx faces reprimand and decides to resign, becoming a soldier of fortune.

Four years later, after engagements in El Salvador, the Middle East, and Nicaragua, Traxx retires from mercenary work and begins baking gourmet cookies inspired by Wally Amos, who makes a cameo appearance. Facing financial needs, he offers his services as the "Town Tamer," working alongside mercenary Deeter to rid Hadleyville, Texas of street criminals.

With backing from Mayor Alexandra Cray and police chief Decker—who discreetly pays him $10,000 weekly—Traxx’s vigilantism disrupts local crime operations. Crime lord Aldo Palucci first attempts bribery and then hires the Guzik brothers, brutal Mexican assassins, to halt Traxx’s efforts. This conflict culminates in an intense street battle.

In the conclusion, Palucci accidentally causes his own death; Traxx overcomes the Guzik brothers and uses bounty earnings to launch his cookie shop 'Snaxx by Traxx.' Mayor Cray organizes a street festival celebrating Hadleyville’s now crime-free centennial anniversary.

Cast

• Shadoe Stevens as Traxx
• Priscilla Barnes as Mayor Alexandria Cray
• Willard E. Pugh as Deeter
• Robert Davi as Aldo Palucci
• John Hancock as Chief Emmett Decker
• Hugh Gillin as Commissioner R.B. Davis
• Michael Kirk as Deputy Mayhew
• Raymond O'Connor as Tibbs
• Herschel Sparber as Guzik #1
• Jonathan Lutz as Guzik #2
• Lucius Houghton as Guzik #3
• Darrow Igus as Wendell
• Arlene Lorre as Celeste
• Rick Overton as Frank Williams
• Robert Miano as Arturo
• Steve Boles as Lonnie
• J. Michael Hunter as Matt
• Leon Rippy as The Killer in pet store
• Wally Amos as Famous Amos
• Wallace Merck as Jerome
• Jerry Colker as Kent

Reception

Daniel R. Budnik, in his book 80s Action Movies on the Cheap, characterized the film as "a kind of parody but not entirely" of the over-the-top tendencies in 1980s action cinema, likening it to Sledge Hammer! and suggesting that its exaggerated violence may have alienated viewers.

During a 2025 interview with RedLetterMedia, Shadoe Stevens expressed harsh criticism of the film, labeling it "so stupid" and noting significant changes made to the originally "really funny" script during pre-production. He recalled producer Dino De Laurentis’s expectation that it would become the next Crocodile Dundee. Stevens also referenced a cut scene featuring the Guzik brothers’ executions via colored electric chairs, writing in his journal: "We are fucked."