The Dion Brothers

Considering this film was released 8 years before I was born, I don't feel too bad for over-looking it for such a long time. Back in January of 98 though, I attended the Second Annual Quentin Tarantino film fest held in Austin,Texas. The particular theme of films this night was "Neglected 70's Crime Films" and boy was her right. "The Gravy Train(or The Dion Brothers, as it appeared this print)" was an absolute gem. Wonderful performances, quirky characters, smart plot, hilarious comedy, and just an all around great time. Rarely do you see a Crime film that is so entertaining and fresh. Margot Kidder in one of her earliest film appearances is extremely sexy as well. I hope some cable network gets a hold of this film and allows many more to see it. In the meantime, go to an indie video store and hope they have it.

why won't IFC ,Sundance,TV Land or Bravo rescue the Hundreds of Classic movies that sit in vaults in Hollywood while we are forced to watch mediocre films for rookie hollwood film school wannabe's...Matt & Ben , and Vince & Jon...are Not takin any risks...nor are they pushing anything but their own type of one dimensional portraits stuck in the Material World of INSTANT GRATIFICATION....They want it ALL NOW! when will be over this drought of creativity? Am I the only one who senses that we are in the age of cookie cuter movie-making, by people who have arrived and risen to star status overnight, and they don't dare lose any money & power by working with quality scripts that call for real acting ability.

I managed to record THE DION BROTHERS, off broadcast TV, (with the commercials), back in the early 80s. I've loaned it to many friends, all of whom agree it's one of the best B "bandit" movies ever made. One day, while walking to my NYC apartment, I saw Stacy Keach shooting a scene for his TV series, Mickey Spilane. We had a moment to chat, and I told him how much I enjoyed THE DION BROS, and considered it a pure classic. He thanked me, and said it was one of the best, and most memorable film experiences of his career. He was very friendly, and sincere, and I was grateful for the few moments he took to chat with a fan. This is one classic that needs to be on DVD.

I happened to catch about the last 45 minutes of the movie,late night about 8 years ago. What a wild and funny 45 minutes.I was absolutely knocked out by chase-shoot-out at the end that takes place at night ,inside an old hotel that's being torn down with a wrecking ball....Incredible. I vaguely remember Stacy Keach ,stealing a cop car, faking being a cop and strong arming some winos....Wino to Keach"Hey,why Ya hasslin us?...Keach"It's my job".You're correct. They don't make them like that anymore.Great movie. The golden70's...Hopefully it will see the light of day as a DVD along with other lost treasures...Hickey and Boggs being one such.

Man! I saw this flick when it first came out in '74. Was watching "Apocalypse Now" the other day and recognized Frederic Forrest (Chef). Then I remembered that he was in some movie with Stacy Keach and Richard Romanus where he portrayed Keach's younger and, shall we say, "less worldly" brother. One part that sticks out was when he met Richard Romanus' character--it was funny in that it was the first time Forrest's character had met a Hispanic person who wasn't Mexican. The movie is definitely "must see" material. Hopefully it will be out on DVD soon