THE STORY – A music mogul faces a life-and-death moral dilemma when he gets caught up in a ransom plot.
THE CAST – Denzel Washington, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jeffrey Wright, Ice Spice, John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, LaChanze, Aubrey Joseph, Michael Potts, Wendell Pierce, Elijah Wright & ASAP Rocky
THE TEAM – Spike Lee (Director) & William Alan Fox (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 133 Minutes
“Highest 2 Lowest” is a lively, entertaining, and all-around compelling new feature film from the great Spike Lee that explores the cost of fame and the moral compromises people make to attain and hold onto it. An English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic Japanese film “High and Low,” which itself was loosely based on the 1959 novel “King’s Ransom” by Ed McBain, Lee updates the story, setting it against the backdrop of New York City’s contemporary music scene. The multi-layered story unfolds as a generational clash of values steeped in Black culture, offering up a wise filmmaker’s perception of wealth, class, and legacy. While it might not deliver the adrenaline rush of a thriller like “Inside Man,” which remarkably was the last time Lee and star Denzel Washington worked together, it arguably offers something even richer: a textured, thought-provoking narrative infused with Lee’s signature directorial style. Anchored by outstanding performances from Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright, the film marks a powerful reunion between actor and director, both a little older, a little wiser, and still shaping and pushing the industry forward in meaningful ways, ensuring their own legacies in the process.
We open up on drone shots of modern-day New York City set to Ray Charles’s rendition of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” from “Oklahoma!” David King (Washington) emerges from the top of his penthouse looking over the city, on the verge of closing a business deal that will see him buying back a controlling portion of the record label he created, “Stackin’ Hits.” As the industry and his success have grown with each artist they sign, David has lost control of his company and time spent with his loving wife Pam (frequent Lee collaborator, Ilfenesh Hadera) and their teenage son Trey (Aubrey Joseph). He may be wealthier than most, but money is tight at the moment as he’s now in a position where he’s being forced to sell his company after all these years of hard work until he unexpectedly receives a phone call that will change everything. On the other end of the line is a mysterious man (ASAP Rocky) who has informed David that he’s kidnapped his son and wants a ransom of $17.5 million in return for his safety. Constantly being barraged by aspiring artists and people looking for their next big break in a cutthroat industry, David is used to having people in his life wanting something from him. However, one person who does not is his driver and loyal friend, Paul Christopher (Wright). A formerly incarcerated man who came from little means and is now a devoted Muslim and father of his own to Trey’s friend Kyle (Elijah Wright), the situation becomes more difficult when the kidnapper accidentally takes the wrong son. Now, it’s Kyle’s life that hangs in the balance while the Kings are reunited. Will David still pay to have Paul’s son returned? Common sense and decency seem to suggest so. Still, with all the money he has left on the line to save his business and, by extension, his legacy, David’s dilemma becomes more complicated as he must search within to make a life-altering decision while the police (John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, and LaChanze) try to locate the kidnapper and his family, Paul and society pressure him.
Lee pieces this all together with his unmistakable filmmaking style: editing wipes, his signature double dolly shot (used to great effect when the police are recapping how they will catch the kidnapper, and again in a surreal, almost music video-like performance by ASAP Rocky), and a single but striking and meaningful use of widescreen cinematography, nodding directly to Kurosawa’s original “High and Low” and its use of TohoScope. That particular shifting aspect ratio moment becomes a visual metaphor for the widening and closing gap between generations, their values, and the definitions of success within Black culture, making its use all the more brilliant.
It feels pointless to wax poetic about Denzel Washington’s immense talent, but it needs to be said here as the now 70-year-old living legend continues to prove time and time again why he is one of the greatest actors of all time. His surprising but always fitting line readings, vivacious energy, and quiet intensity (one scene in particular between David and his son where Trey disrespects his father is a specific highlight of this quality from Washington) are joys to experience up on the big screen. When paired with another phenomenal actor such as Jeffrey Wright, you simply get magic. Even acting against novice actor ASAP Rocky, Washington is so incredibly good that he manages to raise the popular, award-winning rapper’s game considerably. A tense, battle rap-like exchange between the two, spouting their character’s ideological views of the situation they’ve found themselves in, is another memorable scene, as David seeks to find common ground towards a talented but troubled man too angry and hurt by such a harsh world. It’s a wonderful showcase for both men, with Washington appearing looser and more improvisational than he has in years while having, along with his role in “Gladiator II” recently, some of the most fun in his entire career on screen under Lee’s direction.
The film is filled with sometimes on-the-nose, hilarious but otherwise spiky (sometimes both at once) commentary on cancel culture, social media perception, and the currency of attention in today’s fame economy. “You have to be a little crazy to get what you want in this world,” David tells Paul, and Lee seems to both challenge and endorse that idea throughout as he has his entire career, bucking trends over filmmakers employ and relying on his own instincts to deliver something that often deals distinctive, fresh and very much tailored to his devoted audience. David’s fear isn’t just losing money; it’s that, in selling “Stackin’ Hits,” he’s allowing his company’s Black legacy and soul to be erased. Such connections to David can be read into this being a very personal story for Lee as an artist who has never corrupted his vision or sold out, even when it may have seemed with specific projects, he was on the verge of doing so (Looking at you “Oldboy”).
While the piano-driven score by Howard Drossin is often stirring and an appealing listen on its own, it occasionally overwhelms one-on-one key dialogue scenes, creating a distracting imbalance in what should be some of the film’s quieter moments that highlight the actors’ performances and drive the story forward. One scene where it is used to an effective degree is during the high-stakes exchange on a Bronx subway train (with a rowdy group of New York Yankee fans on their way to a game against the reviled “Boston Sucks” Red Sox), as the city streets buzz with life during the Puerto Rican Day parade (featuring cameos from Rosie Perez and Anthony Ramos). An exhilarating chase unfolds as the ransom bag passes between a network of moped riders zipping through the city with David and the cops in pursuit. It’s one of the few moments in the film with genuine thrills, but Lee is more concerned with David’s internal conflict and the thematic power of William Alan Fox’s screenplay. To that end, it’s hard to argue with the cumulative power of Lee’s direction. The film’s most powerful moment comes not from a gunshot or a twist but from a beautiful voice. An aspiring artist (played by Ice Spice), one of many desperately seeking a chance from a guy like David, delivers a stunning performance of the film’s title track, “Highest 2 Lowest,” at the end of the film. It’s a reminder of what David King, and perhaps Lee himself, fell in love with in the first place in such an up-and-down industry where people can be at their highest one day and at their lowest the next: the art. In that serene moment, the noise of business fades, and what remains is a clear sense of purpose and undisputed talent. David’s arc reaches its emotional peak, and so too does the film.
“Highest 2 Lowest” isn’t just a welcome reunion between two of cinema’s greats after a long break. It’s a triumphant work from a filmmaker who has smartly updated a story to discuss relevant and personal themes while never compromising his voice in doing so. He and Washinton still have something vital to say and offer to an industry that has granted them legendary status, and they’re not throwing away the opportunity. As David says in the film, when there is a “new opportunity for a new beginning, you don’t say no to God.” Let’s hope it doesn’t take another nearly twenty years for a new opportunity for these two to work together again.
