A ruthless businessman, Francis Turner(John Saxon) attempts to assassinate a political revolutionary using a human cybernetic killing machine but doesn't expect that his creation would recall his humanity, softening the blows of his hands of steel leaving the target alive. On the lam, Paco Queruak(Daniel Greene) will find a temporary home working for a lonely female bar owner, Linda(Janet Agren) in the Arizona desert as Turner's agents and the FBI search for his whereabouts. Paco also finds an adversary in truck driver Raoul Morales(George Eastman as yet another memorable heavy, this time a sweaty, hostile, conniving aggressor who doesn't appreciate defeat, especially in an arm wrestling match, and often attempts to harm his foe in underhanded attacks)who eventually assists Peter Hallo(Claudio Cassinelli), Hunter's hired assassin, in trying to upend Paco so that he wouldn't leave a trace to his creator's organization.
Sergio Martino's Italian imitation of James Cameron's The Terminator lays the melodrama on a bit thick, but Hands of Steel benefits from some exciting action sequences where herculean Greene's Paco crushes skulls and snaps heads of those that threaten him. Saxon's Hunter is as cruel and vicious as they come, having those under his command eliminated if they fail to carry out his orders in either killing or retrieving his creation..Saxon is relegated to a glorified supporting role, mostly ordering his men from a safe distance in his office, only at the end hitching a ride in a helicopter to personally survey the situation from the sky, although he does eventually comes face to face with Paco, as you'd expect.
Being a fan of "human cyborg" movies, Hands of Steel was entertaining if cheap(..the attempts to make the weapons futuristic fail, such as a giant laser and a missile launcher) with attempts at building the central relationship, a blossoming love affair between Paco and Linda, a man made mostly of metal and the woman that helps him communicate with that human side that remains, is really cornball. The arm wrestling matches(..perhaps influenced by Stallone's Over the Top)are a bit of fun filler with Paco's battle with portly baldy Anatola Blanco a particular highlight..the loser would set off a trap releasing a rattlesnake! I thought the use of Arizona in this film was rather effective(..I'm quite fond of films in godforsaken destitute sun-drenched settings where most folks avoid due to the miserable climate)and Linda's remote bar, a place parked in the middle of nowhere, exactly the ideal location for someone on the run from the authorities and assassins, works as an isolated hellhole only bar scum would inhabit. Hands of Steel is a far cry from Martino's stylish giallo thrillers in terms of quality, but the film might be appreciated by aficionados who love B-movie low budget action junk. Terrific electronic score from Claudio Simoneti and a cool special fx sequence where Paco is repairing mechanical problems with his arm.
Sergio Martino's Italian imitation of James Cameron's The Terminator lays the melodrama on a bit thick, but Hands of Steel benefits from some exciting action sequences where herculean Greene's Paco crushes skulls and snaps heads of those that threaten him. Saxon's Hunter is as cruel and vicious as they come, having those under his command eliminated if they fail to carry out his orders in either killing or retrieving his creation..Saxon is relegated to a glorified supporting role, mostly ordering his men from a safe distance in his office, only at the end hitching a ride in a helicopter to personally survey the situation from the sky, although he does eventually comes face to face with Paco, as you'd expect.
Being a fan of "human cyborg" movies, Hands of Steel was entertaining if cheap(..the attempts to make the weapons futuristic fail, such as a giant laser and a missile launcher) with attempts at building the central relationship, a blossoming love affair between Paco and Linda, a man made mostly of metal and the woman that helps him communicate with that human side that remains, is really cornball. The arm wrestling matches(..perhaps influenced by Stallone's Over the Top)are a bit of fun filler with Paco's battle with portly baldy Anatola Blanco a particular highlight..the loser would set off a trap releasing a rattlesnake! I thought the use of Arizona in this film was rather effective(..I'm quite fond of films in godforsaken destitute sun-drenched settings where most folks avoid due to the miserable climate)and Linda's remote bar, a place parked in the middle of nowhere, exactly the ideal location for someone on the run from the authorities and assassins, works as an isolated hellhole only bar scum would inhabit. Hands of Steel is a far cry from Martino's stylish giallo thrillers in terms of quality, but the film might be appreciated by aficionados who love B-movie low budget action junk. Terrific electronic score from Claudio Simoneti and a cool special fx sequence where Paco is repairing mechanical problems with his arm.