Developed by an evil organisation, cyborg Paco Queruak (Daniel Greene) is sent to assassinate a political activist but resists his programming at the last moment. On the run from both the FBI and those who created him, Paco finds employment with Linda (Janet Agren),the beautiful owner of a remote roadside bar and motel. His solitude is short-lived, however, when he comes to blows with local arm-wrestler Raul Morales (George Eastman) who isn't best pleased about Linda's handsome new lodger and who will do whatever it takes to be rid of him.

Unlikely to appeal to most casual movie viewers, Hands of Steel should prove to be of most interest to those with a particular fondness for cheap European sci-fi/action nonsense from the 80s, featuring as it does many a familiar name from the genre. In addition to exploitation legend Eastman (Anthropophagus) and Fulci star Agren (City of the Living Dead),Hands of Steel's cast includes Euro-cinema regulars Claudio Cassinelli (who sadly died during production),Donald O'Brien and John Saxon, all of whom have starred in more than their fair share of Italian schlock.

Seasoned writer/director Sergio Martino approach lacks finesse and style but is still reasonably fun, the cheap and cheerful nonsense on offer including a perilous drive through an acid rain storm, a hilarious arm-wrestling bout involving rattlesnakes, an unforgettable smack-down against a female cyborg wearing a nappy and a plastic skirt, a ridiculous action packed finalé in which Paco is hunted by John Saxon armed with a massive laser cannon, and a mind-numbingly dumb 'surprise' ending. Also adding to the fun: a reasonable rip off of the self-surgery scene from The Terminator by Italian FX man Sergio Stivaletti and a nifty synth score from Claudio Simonetti (of Goblin fame).

This starts out reasonably well, but when the bionic bikers arrive to take out cyborg Paco Queruak (Daniel Greene) it descends into silliness. From there, it's bring on the bazookas and laser weapons to turn this thing into an extravaganza of weapon fire and explosions. It wouldn't have been so bad if the screen writers explained how Paco's circuitry couldn't possibly have been damaged by taking direct machine gun fire to the chest, or survive getting waterlogged while completely submerged. Well, I guess you're not supposed to think about stuff like that, which inadvertently winds up making me think about stuff like that. As an old time pro wrestling fan, I got a kick out of those photos on the wall of Linda's (Janet Agren) establishment; you had to be quick though, to pick out Bruno Sammartino and Terry Funk, most likely matinee idols for the likes of Raul Morales (George Eastman) and his arm wrestling buddy Anatoly Blanco (Darwyn Swalve). That rattlesnake gimmick was pretty interesting but didn't get very far. As the viewer, one might have been forewarned about getting too involved with this flick, because right there at the very beginning you had this poster of a man pointing with the words 'You Have No Future'. It turned out to be a pretty accurate description of the story.

This is an endless Terminator type movie with a cyborg hero who just keeps on going. Like many of his AI ilk, he seems to have a heart and can love. Sixty percent of the movie is one chase after another with a plethora of weapons and explosions. There is an interesting subplot as he defeats all the local arm wrestlers, getting on the bad side of the local hero. He strikes up a romance with a young lady who runs a bar/motel and he looks after her. Unfortunately, he's so darned indestructible that the fight scenes and the arm wrestling are pointless. If he had wanted to, he could have covered his tracks and protected everyone by just killing a few of them off. After all, that's what they wanted to do to him. It's fun at times in a macho way, but like those Charles Bronson "Death Wish" sequels, it dies of excess and credibility. It portends to be much more than it is.