St. Louis Magazine – July 2019

ĒĐ stlmag.com July 2019 Photography courtesy of Coolfire Studios

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UST AS WRITER/DIRECTOR Cody Stokes’
career began to take off in New York
City—meaning that he was traveling
a lot—his first child was born. The St.
Louis native began thinking about what it means
to be gone and miss things back home, from his,
his wife’s, and his child’s perspectives. He knew
he wanted to make a film about it. But rather than
create a simple kitchen sink drama about father-
hood, he set it in a world beyond, made it exciting,
turned it into a crime thriller. “I wanted people
to feel like they’re going to watch some sort of
Liam Neeson movie but by the end be completely
moved,” Stokes says. And he shot it in St. Louis,
having moved back home with his family. The Ghost
Who Walks screens as part of the St. Louis Film-
makers Showcase later this month.
In the movie, Nolan (Garland Scott), having
spent five years in prison, wins back his freedom
by ratting out his former boss (Gil Darnell). Now,
before his betrayal catches up with him, he must
find his ex, Lena (Alexia Rasmussen), and the
daughter he’s never met and try to move them
to a safe location. The film is gritty and dark, the
dialogue pared down, the result ambitious.
Stokes says the feature, shot across St. Louis,
“100 percent could not have been made anywhere
else.” The scale would have been too costly in New
York or Los Angeles, but in St. Louis, he was able

to find visually rich locations whose owners were

interested in helping him.

One source of support: The St. Louis Metro-

politan Police Department, which granted Stokes

access to the old city jail. For the car chase scenes,

he was able, through permits, to shut down multi-

ple blocks, unheard of in New York or L.A. “Here,

we might not have the infrastructure that some of

the bigger cities have,” Stokes says, “but we have

a willingness to take a chance on things.

“The city pulled back the curtain for us and

allowed us to explore and see things that make

the world of the film come to life,” he adds.

It’s not the first time the city has opened itself

up to Stokes’ vision. When he was 16, he made

a crime caper called The Mix-Up. “If I wanted a

location, I would just go there in a suit with an

empty briefcase. I’d set my briefcase down and

say, ‘I need to talk to the manager.’” He got access.

Working on that early project, Stokes remem-

bers hearing about the Filmmakers Showcase in

which he’s now screening The Ghost Who Walks

and thinking, “How do I get those guys to watch

something from me?”

“I think the showcase proves to the people of

our city the potential we all have to create some-

thing,” Stokes says. “This is not something exclu-

sive to the coast or to really big cities. This can be

just as valuable and just as good made here by us.”

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RHYTHM PRELUDE

From left:

Stokes and actor

Garland Scott