The Saint Louis Bank Robbery

A 1959 American heist film directed by Charles Guggenheim and John Stix, starring Steve McQueen early in his career. Based on an actual 1953 bank robbery in St. Louis, the film follows aging criminal mastermind John Egan (Crahan Denton) as he plans to rob the Southwest Bank and retire to Mexico. His crew includes Gino (David Clarke), an ex-convict terrified of returning to prison, and Willie, a longtime minion. When the gang needs a getaway driver, Gino recruits his sister's old boyfriend George Fowler (McQueen), a former college football star with no criminal record. The film meticulously details the planning and rehearsal of the heist before the robbery goes violently wrong. Shot on location in East St. Louis with a gritty, documentary-like realism. Marked Public Domain on Archive.org.