Hands of Steel (1986)

A cyborg is programmed to kill a scientist who holds the fate of mankind in his hands. He fails and hides in a diner in a desert run by a woman who likes him. The people who sent him are after him and so is the local arm wrestling champ.

Director:

Sergio Martino (as Martin Dolman)

Writers:

Sergio Martino (story by) (as Martin Dolman), Elisa Briganti (screenplay by) (as Elisabeth Parker Jr.)

Stars:

Daniel Greene, Janet Agren, Claudio Cassinelli

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Daniel Greene	...	Paco Queruak
Janet Agren	...	Linda
Claudio Cassinelli	...	Peter Howell
George Eastman	...	Raul Morales
Roberto Bisacco	...	Cooper (as Robert Ben)
Pat Monti
Andrea Coppola	...	Eddie (as Andrew Louis Coppola)
Donald O'Brien	...	Prof. Olster
Frank Walden
Darwyn Swalve	...	Anatola Blanco
Amy Werba	...	Dr. Peckinpah
John Saxon	...	Francis Turner

Storyline

Sinister industrialist Francis Turner, played by John Saxon, creates a cyborg known as Paco Queruak (Daniel Greene) who has been programmed to terminate the leader of an ecological faction that stands in the way of the dystopian country in which the story is set. After failing in his mission to eliminate the ecologist, Paco flees to Arizona where he must face his opponents; and ultimately choose between his humanity and robotic natures.

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Plot Keywords:

world trade center | chinatown manhattan new york city | tragic event | watching tv | broken rule | 

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Taglines:

30% human, 70% robot, 100% lethal. [Scandinavian DVD cover]

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian Spanish English

Release Date:

29 August 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hands of Steel

Filming Locations:

Lee's Ferry Lodge at Vermilion Cliffs - Highway 89A, Marble Canyon, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Cinematografica, Dania Film, Medusa Distribuzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The peculiar rock formation behind Paco when he gets out of his old car (prior to pushing it off the cliff) is referred to the locals at Page, AZ as "Dead Indian Butte" because from Lake Powell it resembles a man wearing a headdress lying on his back.

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Goofs

When the helicopter John Saxon is in is airborne it can be seen as a Bell 206 JetRanger which has a long main rotor shaft and 2 main rotor blades, but at approximately 1:24 when on the ground it is a 4-bladed helicopter with a much shorter main rotor shaft, most likely a Sikorsky S-76 or Agusta AW-109.

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Quotes

Raul Morales: When I get through with you, you'll have to wipe your ass with your nose
Paco Queruak: Fuck you

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Alternate Versions

The UK video version (released as "Fists Of Steel") was cut by 1 second to remove an ear-clap.

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Connections

Featured in Hands of Steel: An Interview with Daniel Greene (2017)

User Reviews

100% Testosterone-driven exploitation

THIS is a totally awesome, adrenalin rushing, down and dirty in-your-face 80's Italian exploitation effort, but of course you have to be cautious who you may recommend it to! If you're, for example, attending a convention for people with an enormous IQ and you got a couple of hours to kill, you probably shouldn't suggest watching "Fists of Steel" because the script's intellectual value is rather questionable. Or in case you're a guest at a feminist gathering, I wouldn't advise mentioning "Fists of Steel" neither, as the film is literally stuffed with macho characters and typically male showdowns. In fact, to put it rather bluntly, "Fists of Steel" is a movie for guys, and preferably guys that like their heroes invincible, their women docile, their action & violence graphic & plentiful and their dialogs and story lines rudimentary. I'm not implying you have to be a retard in order to enjoy this film (otherwise, I'd be one myself) but it's merely a relaxing and undemanding film to watch after a hard day's work or together with a group of friends where there's loads of beer and pizza.

"Fists of Steel" is basically an attempt to cash in on the huge success of James Cameron's "The Terminator", but without the rather complex time-traveling structure and advanced character developments. In futuristic America, where acid rain hurtles down daily and breathing poisonous air may kill you, beefcake Cyborg Paco Querak is programmed to terminate a blind & crippled environmentalist whose movement is seriously annoying big-shot industrialist John Saxon. However, Paco's conscience prevents him from finishing the job and he flees into the Arizonan desert. He entrenches himself in a cheap & sleazy motel where he falls in love with the friendly owner, arm-wrestles against aggressive truckers and patiently awaits the army of hired killers to come after him. There isn't a single moment of dullness in this movie and I was actually sad when it finished. The arm wrestling contests are incredibly entertaining to behold (muscles all over the screen), the car/truck/helicopter chases are extremely exciting and the fistfights are so harsh you can almost feel them. Daniel Greene is more than adequate in his heroic Cyborg-role but the supportive cast is even better with the almighty John Saxon as the über-bad guy, George Eastman as the jealous lead-trucker and Claudio Cassinelli (who sadly died during shooting) as one of the relentless hit men. Cassinelli's untimely death clearly caused a scripting problem, as his character is killed off screen. As always, Sergio Martino's direction is fast-paced and competent but nothing more than that. He was one of Italy's busiest and most versatile directors during the 60's, 70's and 80's, so don't expect too much typical trademarks or personalized styles as he just wanted to finish the job quick and proper. Claudio Simonetti, the multi-talented brain behind cult band Goblin, was in charge of the music and that's another reason for avid fans of Italian exploitation film to track this puppy down. Great testosterone-driven entertainment, love it or hate it!