Spike Lee returns with Highest 2 Lowest, a bold, idiosyncratic reimagining of Kurosawa’s High and Low that courts modern New York rather than a 1960s Japanese cityscape. Lifting the core premise from the 1959 Ed McBain novel King’s Ransom, Lee reshapes the story into a contemporary corporate thriller that pulses with swagger, style and a sense of urgency. At its center is Denzel Washington as David King, a towering music mogul whose empire and ego are put to the ultimate test when a kidnapping shatters his meticulously curated domain.
Washington’s King rules a high-rise kingdom, with a chic wife played by Ilfenesh Hadera and a teenage son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph). The city itself feels like a living backdrop, barely contained by glass towers, subways and the social media glare that follows every move. When a ransom demand arrives for 17.5 million Swiss francs, the twist lands: the kidnapper has taken Trey’s friend Kyle, the son of King’s chauffeur Paul (Jeffrey Wright). The ethical dilemma rapidly becomes a chess match: will King’s financial rescue of a stranger’s son trump the survival of his own business?
Lee’s direction leans into operatic scale. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique sweeps the camera through boroughs and avenues with a kinetic energy, while Howard Drossin’s orchestral score ramps up the drama to a brassy, in-your-face rhythm. The result is a film that often feels like a sprawling, high-stakes stage piece, with moments that spill into jazz-influenced exchanges and punchy, high-volume confrontations.
The film thrives on the chemistry between Washington and Wright, who reunite after their collaboration in The Manchurian Candidate. Wright’s ex-con adviser and friend offers a combustible counterpoint to King’s cool calculation, and their scenes together crackle with a Vibe-of-the-streets dynamic that Lee clearly cherishes. The partnership is highlighted by an audacious moment in which a confrontation with Kyle becomes an electric rap duel, underscoring Lee’s willingness to fuse genre and pop culture in unexpected ways.
Highs abound in the film’s more ambitious sequences. After the ransom plans come together, a standout stretch unfolds aboard a 4 Train speeding toward Yankee Stadium, with the Bronx Bombers’ fervor giving way to a claustrophobic, adrenaline-drenched pursuit through a city that feels complicit in the tension. Lee also stages a vivid Puerto Rican Day parade chase that serves as a kinetic heartbeat for the second act. The inclusion of A$AP Rocky as a street-level counterpoint to King injects heat and a fresh, contemporary edge to the narrative’s core conflict.
Yet the movie is not without its rough edges. Some dialogue can feel flat or overly talky, and the pacing occasionally lurches as Lee juggles multiple threads and characters. The ending, while upbeat and commercially satisfying, leaves a slightly tamer aftertaste compared with the film’s earlier, more relentless energy. It’s a busy, crowd-pleasing experience—fast, flashy and often fun, but not always as harrowing or nuanced as Kurosawa’s source or as some of Lee’s sharpest work.
In spirit, Highest 2 Lowest is a testament to Lee’s appetite for risk: a glossy, high-velocity thriller that doubles as a commentary on power, privilege and the price of success in a media-saturated era. Washington delivers a commanding turn, and Wright anchors the human dimension with quiet gravity. The movie’s X factor lies in how Lee blends a corporate melodrama with street-level grit and a overtone of brass-topped bravado—an approach that may not please every purist, but that undeniably marks Lee’s continued willingness to reinvent his own terms.
If you’re looking for a bold summer ride that interrogates big-money arrogance while delivering spectacle, Highest 2 Lowest offers the thrills, the performances, and plenty of talking points. It’s a film that feels bigger than its premise, and its willingness to fuse genres and voices is very much in keeping with Lee’s reputation for fearless, distinctive storytelling.
Release and format notes: Highest 2 Lowest is currently playing in theaters and will stream on Apple TV+ starting September 5. Runtime is 133 minutes. Language throughout, with brief drug use.
What to watch for and value add:
– The dynamic between David King and Paul, especially in scenes where loyalty and business collide.
– Washington’s authority-infused performance contrasted with Wright’s grounded, moral-counterweight.
– The modern-day backdrop of social media and press scrutiny shaping public perception and decisions.
– The film’s muscular, operatic pacing and how Lee uses New York as a character in its own right.
– The surprising rap duel between King and Rocky’s character as a bold genre crossover moment.
Summary: Highest 2 Lowest is a high-octane reimagining that fits Lee’s audacious style into a contemporary moral thriller. It blends glossy production with street-level energy, producing a brisk, entertaining ride that interrogates power and ethics while delivering standout performances and provocative set pieces. A courageous, if imperfect, addition to Spike Lee’s filmography with a hopeful, forward-looking punch.