You might know Steve McQueen as the "King of Cool," the guy jumping motorcycles in The Great Escape or tearing through San Francisco in a Mustang. But before the big studio budgets and the global superstardom, there was a gritty, black-and-white heist flick shot on the humid streets of Missouri. Honestly, The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery movie is one of those rare cinematic artifacts that feels more like a documentary than a Hollywood production.
It’s raw.
Released in 1959, the film captures a transition point in American cinema. It’s caught between the dying embers of film noir and the birth of the hyper-realistic crime dramas that would dominate the 70s. If you watch it today, you aren't just seeing a movie; you're seeing a rehearsal for the persona McQueen would eventually perfect.
The Real Story Behind the Heist
What most people don't realize is that this isn't just a screenplay someone dreamt up in a Burbank office. It’s based on a real-life attempted robbery of the Southwest Bank in St. Louis that went down in 1953.
The realism isn't a coincidence.
The producers actually went back to the original location. They filmed at the Southwest Bank at Southwest and Kingshighway. They even hired some of the real police officers and local residents who were actually there when the bullets started flying in '53 to play themselves or extras. That’s a level of authenticity you just don’t see anymore. Usually, a studio would just rebuild the street on a backlot. Instead, director Charles Guggenheim—who was primarily a documentary filmmaker—treated the city of St. Louis as a living, breathing character.
The plot follows George Fowler (McQueen), a former college football star who’s hit rock bottom. He’s a college dropout, basically drifting through life, when he gets pulled into a heist planned by a gang of seasoned criminals.
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It’s a classic setup.
But it’s the execution that makes it weirdly compelling. There’s no "Hollywood" gloss here. The planning is tedious. The tension is quiet. When the robbery eventually goes south, it doesn’t feel like a choreographed dance; it feels like a chaotic, desperate mess.
Why Steve McQueen Matters Here
At the time of filming, McQueen was still a hungry actor. He was starring in the TV western Wanted: Dead or Alive, but he hadn't quite broken into the "A-list" stratosphere. You can see him working harder here than in his later films where he could rely on his sheer magnetism.
In The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery movie, he plays George as someone deeply uncomfortable in his own skin. He’s twitchy. He’s vulnerable. He’s a guy who knows he’s in over his head but doesn't have the guts to walk away.
Critics often overlook this performance because it’s not "Cool Steve." It’s "Desperate Steve." But that’s exactly why it’s worth watching. You get to see the raw materials of his acting style—the economy of movement, the way he uses his eyes to convey internal panic—before it became a polished brand.
Interestingly, the film was originally titled The St. Louis Bank Robbery. The "Great" was tacked on later by distributors trying to capitalize on McQueen’s rising fame after he became a household name. It’s a bit of a misnomer, really, because the robbery in the film is anything but "great." It’s a disaster.
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A Masterclass in Location Scouting
If you've ever spent time in St. Louis, this movie is a time capsule.
The 1950s urban landscape is captured with a stark, cold lens. It shows a city in a state of flux. You see the diners, the cramped apartments, and the looming architecture of the bank itself. By using the actual Southwest Bank, Guggenheim created a claustrophobic atmosphere that a set could never replicate.
The climax of the film—the actual robbery—is where the documentary style really pays off.
Because they used real bystanders and local cops, the reactions feel genuine. When the police surround the building, the sense of dread is palpable. The film doesn't rely on a heavy musical score to tell you how to feel. It lets the sound of sirens and the shouting of men do the heavy lifting.
Some viewers find the pacing slow. It’s true. It doesn’t move like a modern thriller. It moves like a stakeout. There’s a lot of sitting around, a lot of smoking, and a lot of talking about "the plan." But that slow burn makes the final explosion of violence feel earned.
The Legacy of a Low-Budget Gem
Is it a perfect movie? No way.
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The dialogue can be a bit stiff in places, and some of the supporting performances are clearly from non-actors. But as a piece of "St. Louis" history and a landmark in the heist genre, it’s essential.
It fits into a specific niche of mid-century cinema that includes films like The Killing or The Asphalt Jungle. These movies weren't interested in glamorous thieves or "gentleman" criminals. They were interested in the losers, the guys on the fringes of society who think one big score will fix their broken lives.
For McQueen fans, this is the "missing link." You can’t fully understand his career without seeing where he started. He wasn't always the hero. Here, he’s just a kid who made a really bad decision.
Actionable Steps for Film Buffs and Historians
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this specific era of cinema or the history of the heist itself, here is how you should approach it:
- Watch for the Cinematography: Pay attention to the wide shots of the St. Louis streets. This was shot by Haskell Wexler (uncredited or early in his career depending on who you ask), who went on to become one of the greatest cinematographers in history (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, In the Heat of the Night). The lighting is spectacular for a low-budget indie.
- Compare with the Real Crime: Research the 1953 Southwest Bank robbery. You’ll find that the movie sticks remarkably close to the facts of the event, particularly the way the police responded and the layout of the bank.
- The Southwest Bank Today: If you’re ever in St. Louis, the bank building still stands at the corner of Southwest and Kingshighway. It’s now a BMO Harris Bank, but the facade is instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen the film. It’s a pilgrimage site for McQueen fans.
- Check the Public Domain: Because of some messy copyright history, this movie has fallen into the public domain. This means you can find it for free on many streaming platforms or YouTube. However, try to find a restored version; the cheap, grainy transfers don't do the black-and-white photography justice.
- Contextualize McQueen: Watch this back-to-back with The Thomas Crown Affair. The contrast between his character George Fowler and the sophisticated Thomas Crown shows the incredible range McQueen developed in just a decade.
The reality is that The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery movie isn't just a crime flick. It’s a gritty, unvarnished look at a specific moment in American history, featuring a future icon before the world knew his name. It’s definitely worth the 86 minutes of your time.