On Wednesday, August 13, Atlantic Station hosted a screening of Spike Lee’s new crime thriller “Highest 2 Lowest,” just two days before its nationwide theatrical release. Lee’s latest film is the reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic “High and Low” which also marks a triumphant reunion between the legendary director and Denzel Washington after nearly two decades apart.
Washington, who stars as David King, a music mogul with “the best ears” in the business who built his Stackin’ Hits label by discovering chart-topping artists. But after decades of success, the industry has bypassed him as AI and social media have revolutionized the music landscape. When King decides to buy back his company rather than accept a lucrative merger deal, his world is turned upside down by a devastating kidnapping crisis.
In a cruel twist of fate, kidnappers mistakenly snatch Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of King’s driver and childhood friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright), instead of King’s own son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph). Despite the mix-up, the ransom demand remains: $17.5 million or the boy dies. This sets King on a journey through New York City’s streets, from Puerto Rican Day parades to Yankee Stadium, as he faces an impossible choice between saving Kyle’s life and preserving his musical empire.
The film features an ensemble cast including Ilfenesh Hadera as King’s wife Pam, and Rakim Athelaston Mayers, popularly known as A$AP Rocky as aspiring rapper Yung Felon. Mayers also contributed two songs to the film’s soundtrack.
Alan Fox’s screenplay updates Kurosawa’s original story (itself adapted from Ed McBain’s novel “King’s Ransom”), while Lee infuses his beloved themes of music, history, and sports.
This collaboration represents the fifth partnership between Lee and Washington, their first since 2006’s “Inside Man.” Their previous collaborations include acclaimed films like “Malcolm X” and “He Got Game”.
“Highest 2 Lowest” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, screening out of competition to critical acclaim. The film currently holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 66 reviews and a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Principal photography took place in New York City from March through May 2024, with Matthew Libatique serving as cinematographer. The production united A24, Apple Studios, Escape Artists, Mandalay Pictures, and Lee’s own 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
The crime thriller continues Lee’s recent hot streak following “Chi-Raq,” “BlacKkKlansman,” and “Da Five Bloods,” further cementing the 67-year-old filmmaker’s status as an essential Hollywood voice. While the pacing proves uneven at times in the more melodramatic opening sequences, the film finds its rhythm in the latter half as King’s moral complexity unfolds.
“Highest 2 Lowest” opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 15, distributed by A24. It will then stream exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning September 5.