Hands of Steel (1986)
In a near-future dystopia, Paco Queruak (Daniel Greene) is a former soldier rebuilt into an unstoppable, 70% mechanical cyborg assassin by an evil industrialist, Francis Turner (John Saxon). When Paco's residual human conscience prevents him from completing his primary assassination mission, he rebels against his creator and goes on the run. He hides out in a desolate Arizona truck stop, finding brief peace as an arm-wrestler until Turner's corporate hitmen track him down. Directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Martino, this B-movie action spectacle is a clear, low-budget attempt to capitalize on the success of The Terminator and Blade Runner. The film features strong cyberpunk themes, particularly corporate warfare and the power of the megacorp, represented by Turner's pollution-spewing foundation that controls the dystopian environment. The narrative focuses on human vs. machine identity as Paco’s 30% humanity fights his programming, culminating in a raw struggle for autonomy against technological control.
Hardware (1990)
In a scorched post-apocalyptic world, scavenger Moses Baxter (Dylan McDermott) brings home parts of a broken robot to his girlfriend, not knowing it's a dormant M.A.R.K. 13 — a military-grade killing machine capable of self-repair. Once reactivated, the robot turns their apartment into a war zone. Directed by Richard Stanley, the film blends industrial aesthetics with punk influences and claustrophobic horror. Despite a modest budget, Hardware gained cult status for its atmosphere, use of practical effects, and themes of technological overreach and surveillance in a decaying world.
Hardwired (2009)
After surviving a car crash, Luke Gibson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) awakens with an experimental brain implant that bombards him with invasive advertisements controlled by a powerful corporation. As he searches for the truth, he joins a resistance group aiming to shut the system down. Directed by Ernie Barbarash, the film explores themes of digital mind control and hyper-consumerism. Though released direct-to-video, Hardwired stands out for its dystopian depiction of corporations literally hijacking consciousness, and its commentary on targeted advertising in a data-driven world.
Hotel Artemis (2018)
In a riot-torn Los Angeles of the near future, The Nurse (Jodie Foster) runs a secret, high-tech hospital for criminals, where members must follow strict rules to receive treatment. When a valuable patient arrives, the fragile order of the hotel begins to collapse. Directed by Drew Pearce, the film mixes noir, sci-fi, and action in a single-location thriller with a stylish, retro-futuristic aesthetic. While not fully cyberpunk, it presents themes of privatized care, technological disparity, and urban chaos that align with the genre’s atmosphere.