Vendetta dal futuro

Martino's cyborg movie is definitely one of the better exploitation flicks of it's kind. Daniel Greene makes a good beefcake hero roaming the well-photographed wasteland wasting the sleazy corporate villains. The dire dialog and rather slow pacing tend to work with this Italian B-movie shlocker rather well.

The year 1997 : the guardian of the future is much more than a human being... There an evil international industrialist , the arrogant Francis Turner (John Saxon) is determined to terminate the interference of a world-leading ecological scientist (Franco Fantasia) , so he assigns the ace hit killer-cyborg Paco Queruak (Daniel Greene) to murder him . However, things go wrong . As Paco is 30% human, 70% robot, 100% lethal , but then the human side takes over and he refuses to execute his mission. Paco flees to Arizona where he has to take on his opponents ; and ultimately choose between his humanity and robotic natures .

Thrilling , stirring and exciting Cyborg movie with unstopped action , snappy pace , top-rate fights , shootouts , fierce combats and breathtakingly spectacular scenes . It contains traditional and abundant FX perfectly adapted to the noisy action , adding appropriate make-up by specialist Sergio Stivaletti . Vendetta dal futuro (1986) is derivative and rip-offs other American film as Terminator and Over The Top , these were Sergio Martino's influences for the film. Expert filmmaker Sergio Martino relates the uneven , but attractive story at a quick pace by staging compellingly some rousing set pieces , showing breathtaking Arizona desert locations , and he maintains intrigue and surprises throughout, resulting in a dynamic and twisted final . There's a charming cast of familiar Italian B-pic veterans and packing a good support that helps a lot : as a passable acting by the beefy American Daniel Greene as the resourceful cyborg who has been programmed to eliminate the leader of an ecological faction that stands in the way of the dystopian country in which the story is set. Along with the tall George Eastman or Luigi Montefiori in smoothly nasty form excels as an obnoxious wrestling trucker , the lovely Janet Agren as likable motel owner Linda, Donald O'Brien has a swift bit as bitter crippled scientist and unfortunately co-star Claudio Cassinelli died in a helicopter crash on July 12, 1985, during shooting in Arizona .

It displays colorful and adequate cinematography by the good professional cameraman Giancarlo Ferrando , shot on location in Arcosanti , Navajo Generating Station, Page, Lake Powell, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, The Domes, Casa Grande,Arizona, USA and studios from Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy . Moving and moody score by Claudio Simonetti in his habitual funky style, including ordinary leit motif , composed by means of synthesizer . The motion picture was professionally directed by Sergio Martino who delivers the goods with skillness and aplomb enough . Competently directed by the prolific filmmaker Sergio Martino who usually uses pseudonym as Martin Dolman . Talented and versatile writer/director Sergio Martino has made a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as horror , Giallo , comedy , Western , and science fiction in a career that spans over 40 years . He was especially expert on Western as proved in ¨Mannaja¨ and this ¨Arizona returns¨ , Giallo such as ¨The case of scorpion's tail ¨ , ¨Torso¨ ,¨the scorpion with two tails¨ , ¨The strange vice of Mrs Ward¨ , Cannibal movies such as "Mountain of the Cannibal God", Italian crime thrillers as "Violent Professionals" and ¨Sci-Fi as ¨Destroyer¨ , "2019: After the Fall of New York" . Rating: 6/10 , acceptable and passable , this is a great Sci-Fi Ravioli in which the camera stalks in adequate style throughout a story with decent visual skills . This is a bewildering story , enjoyable as well as violent , and it will appeal to Italian hardcore fans . A hugely amusing flick.

I actually saw this movie many years ago. I was a kid when I saw it. The thing is, the movie never left my memory. Unlike so many other low budget action flicks, this one still has a spot in my memory. That is why it is great. I remember the awesome stereotype bounty hunter character (long white hair, long white beard, black leather trenchcoat, sawed off shotgun), I remember the arm wrestling match where the loser gets his wrist pinned in a shackle to be bitten by a poisonous snake, and how the cyborg beat the former champ (who had much bigger arms, by the way), but then saved him from his own snake, I remember the acid rain scene where the cyborg must quickly drive through the acid rain road section, and how you see the hood of the car start to dissolve, and more. For some reason, this movie just was pretty good. It is very low budget looking, but don't let the looks fool you. I have been wanting to see this again for a long time now but I haven't been able to find it anymore. Well, if you find it, consider yourself lucky and watch it. I don't remember much more about it, so, that's all, folks.

Not only is this Italian flick a ripoff of THE TERMINATOR, but it predated the arm wrestling cinema classic OVER THE TOP. In an undisclosed future, cyborg Paco (David Steele) is sent to assassinate a blind environmentalist (whose slogan is "You have no future!"). But he doesn't finish the job when a bit of his human heart takes over. Paco heads to the Nevada desert to hide out and, while at a cheapo motel, becomes the region's champion arm wrestler. Because we all know arm wrestling is the sport of the future. I laughed out loud when they showed their wall of arm wrestling champs that included wrestlers Bruno Sammartino, Hillbilly Jim, Magnum TA and Dory Funk, Jr. Lead Greene looked so familiar but I couldn't place him. Checking here at the IMDb, he played the Dad in KINGPIN and the meathead in ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK. So there is life after Sergio Martino movies. Janet Agren, John Saxon, George Eastman and Donald O'Brien show up for support and are all fine. Sadly, I also read here that Italian character actor Claudio Cassinelli, who plays Saxon's hired hit-man, was killed in a helicopter crash while filming that. I guess that is why Saxon's men off him quickly at the end and you just see him lying face down. That is really too bad.

If you were to have watched this film when it was released, you'd have probably thought it was OK, or been a little disappointed. But watch it now, in 2017, and it takes on a whole different identity.

Hands of Steel is just a pure cheese fest of 80's stereotypes. The fight scenes are badly choreographed, the shoot outs have over the top sound effects dubbed on, magazine clips that never run out, and helicopters that seem to be able to withstand hundreds of bullets with no effect. The bad guys are even worse shots than in Commando!

The music and sound effects are typically and wonderfully 80's, and the script has to contain some of the corniest lines ever. And when they unleash the 'futuristic' laser weapon.. well, that was the final touch of perfection for me!

If you loved the 1980's and the action films it produced, then you will absolutely love Hands of Steel. I have never smiled and laughed so much watching a film in a long time. It's fantastic!

Watch it with a few friends and some beers, and you're guaranteed a fantastic evening.