A while back, I spent a whopping $5 on this 50-movie set, Sci-fi Invasion. That adds up to 10 cents per movie. Let’s get futuristic with Hands of Steel, which was obviously released in some places under the name Atomic Cyborg.

Here’s what happens: It’s the post-apocalyptic future. An evil industrialist sends his astonishingly ‘roided up android, Paco, to kill an environmentalist who is popular with the people. Paco gets in touch with his human side, though, and takes the fight to the bad guys.

Speculative spectacle: The Terminator is clearly an influence here, with a hugely musclebound dude playing the android.

Sleaze factor: Bar brawls, killing guys with a single punch, a little android/woman lovin’ and a finale in which our hero dukes it out with a lingerie-clad female martial artist. Yeah, it’s got the sleaze.

Quantum quotables: “Not bad. But you’re a goddam jackass for drivin’ in that acid rain back there. Now it ain’t worth much more than a bucket of rust.” –A futuristic used car salesman, talking the talk

What the felgercarb? Paco’s signature move is to cross his arms in front of himself with his palms facing inward, and then giving a double backhand slap to his opponents. And this kills them!

Also, a time-filling subplot in the middle of the movie has our robotic hero entering an arm-wrestling challenge, temporarily transforming this from a Terminator rip-off to an Over the Top rip-off.

Microcosmic minutiae: John Saxon of Nightmare on Elm Street and Enter the Dragon (and dozens of other great films) shows up as one of the villains. A true professional, he out-acts everyone, taking the part seriously even though it’s clearly low-budget schlock.

Worth 10 cents? The anti-pollution message is as heavy-handed as heavy-handed gets, but the android-fightin’ post-apoc cheese is worth all ten pennies.

Like movies? Like to read? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.