It features some of the men and women from the St. Louis Police Department, as well as local residents and bank employees, reenacting their roles during the actual robbery attempt.

[citation needed] Aging criminal mastermind John Egan decides to rob St. Louis' Southwest Bank, then use the loot to retire to Mexico with his longtime minion Willy.

Their accomplice, Gino, is an ex-convict terrified of returning to prison, and wants money to pay for his defense in an upcoming criminal trial.

Ann still feels too much affection for George to notify the police, but she goes to the Southwest Bank at night and writes a warning about the impending robbery on its window.

They neglected to bring a police-frequency scanner and are unaware that the bank had relocated a switchboard from the lobby, elements that foil key aspects of their plan.

Now it is Steve McQueen…in ‘The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery,’ with dramatic plot to offset the documentary format….It is a fairly lucid film, purportedly factual with the St. Louis police department drafted for the actual stickup scenes; co-directed with some skill by Charles Guggenheim and John Stix from a well-padded script….The low-budgeted thriller boasts an effective musical background score…which does much to enliven the dragged-out action….The script reiterates that crime does not pay.

Performances are adequate, but not outstanding, although McQueen is a handsome blond looker who likely would catch on in more big-size movies.”[3] The Los Angeles Citizen-News found the film “a garbled attempt at arty realism…rehashes the old story of plotting the bank holdup that fails.”[4]