by Jeffery Rahming, Contributing Writer
Spike Lee is in the rare league of artists who’ve always done things their own way from the beginning. A Black-led adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low isn’t exactly a hot pitch in 2025, but if Lee wants to make a movie regardless of the premise, somebody will listen. Add in a late-career Denzel Washington, and you can see why A24 and Apple saw a potential for another classic from these two legendary collaborators. While Highest 2 Lowest undoubtedly falls short of its creator’s past achievements and source material, Lee and Washington still prove why they’re the two most prominent collaborators in Hollywood, even if this one’s a little unsteady.
Washington stars as music executive David King, who’s on the verge of one of the biggest deals of his career. This celebratory event is interrupted when a mysterious kidnapper (A$AP Rocky) takes his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), for ransom. King is then thrust into an intense hostage situation that involves not only his son, but also the son of his longtime right-hand, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright). Now, King is put to the test morally, physically, and financially to help end this situation with everyone still alive.
Lee has long had the kind of career where he can make as many zany directorial choices as he pleases. The result here is a mixed bag. The creative freedom that allows him to do an awesome hostage handoff scene scored to and intercut with a live Puerto Rican jazz band is the same freedom that allows him to score every chase scene with what can only be described as distracting and baffling pirate ship music. This is a whole movie full of wild swings like that — some of them work, some of them don’t. Though it will never be in his top tier, if you came for a Spike Lee movie, you’re getting what you asked for. This is full of wild edits, sudden breaks of reality, and all the other stylish flourishes Lee is known for.
And, of course, it features his latest attempt at social commentary, though this one feels just a little dated already. The commentary he’s trying to make about SoundCloud rappers through A$AP Rocky’s inclusion feels just on the cusp of being outdated. Most of the rappers he’s clearly satirizing haven’t been relevant in years. In general, Lee’s analysis of the current social media landscape is very shallow and almost juvenile. You can tell he didn’t really do his research, especially when the teenage characters talk about memes and social reputation in a way that only somebody over 40 would.
Washington, like Lee, is in a phase of his career where he can get away with anything he wants. He’s basically just playing himself, but it works. He’s just as charismatic, funny, and remarkably intense as usual. This role in particular really demonstrates the difference between a movie star like Washington and just an actor. For some reason, King is not only the greatest music executive ever with the “best ears for talent of all time,” but is also a capable vigilante and sharpshooter when the plot calls for it. This only makes sense if you’re in trusted hands like Washington’s. Not that it makes any lick of sense story wise; it doesn’t. But because my subconscious remembers The Equalizer, I can accept when an elderly record executive suddenly becomes Liam Neeson. Wright is also a standout in a role almost insultingly too small for him. The Oscar nominee brings a lot of grounded energy to his character. In many ways, he’s the heart of the film that lifts it up above its faults.
One aspect that just doesn’t work as a whole is King’s family, which is a bit of a problem considering they’re the emotional center of the plot. Washington gets some scenes that border on Shakespearean, Wright gets his fair share of emotional and funny moments, and even the trio of cops who lead the hostage negotiations gets some fun quips. Whenever King has to talk to his wife or child, the quality of writing just leaves the room. There’s one scene in particular between Washington and Joseph that is clearly supposed to be an emotional crux of the story that just completely falls flat. Not just in the writing, but even in the way they’re shot and acted, the family scenes feel like they belong to a completely different movie. The script itself is just barely better than your average straight-to-streaming slop, but Lee’s unique style manages to shine through regardless. When even that slips during the family scenes, it feels like you’re watching a Tubi film with a great Denzel Washington impersonator.
Highest 2 Lowest is a bit of a mess, but with an auteur like Lee, even some of their sloppier work is entertaining. On the whole, there are a ton of baffling choices here, but one thing’s for certain: Lee is still as daring a director as ever, even if he’s not as tapped into popular culture as he used to be. With talents like Washington and Wright as his two stars this was never going to be a complete failure even with it’s weaknesses. A fun enough time if you can forgive some of Lee’s eccentricities.
Rating: Liked It
Highest 2 Lowest is currently playing in theaters
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