The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery

The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery is a 1959 film based on an actual 1953 St. Louis bank robbery. The film was hot on location in St. Louis only five years after the robbery. It was shot in black and white which gives it a grittier and more realistic feel. Actual members of the St. Louis Police Department and local residents reprise their real life roles in the film.

Steve McQueen plays George Fowler who was the ex-football hero. Fowler is drawn into a life of crime when he becomes involved wit gangsters. Fowler’s girlfriend becomes alarmed upon realizing that he intends to rob the bank. She writes a warning message using lipstick to let the bank known robbery plan. This sets up all the tension and drama for the movie as the robbery goes on as planned.