It’s a bold move to attempt to remake something like “High and Low,” a masterpiece from one of the greatest living filmmakers to ever make movies. Sure, there’s plenty of thematic borrowers and narrative structure homages, but it takes a mad man to try and tackle one of Kurosawa’s greatest adaptions. Spike Lee is that mad man, and barrels forward with “Highest 2 Lowest” his own adapted version that borrows from both the novel and film and injects himself into the metatextual story. Lee chooses to keep most of the source material’s best features i.e. its methodical pacing, the tight claustrophobic setting, and its comedy, but does away with the police procedural and detective focused elements. “Highest 2 Lowest” is Lee at his most reflective and sentimental, using masterpiece source material to deliver a thrilling and deeply funny love letter to cinema, music, New York, creativity, legacy, and black excellence. One of the greats doing what he does best with all the love in his heart poured out in every frame.
“Highest 2 Lowest” bursts with NY swagger and the sweet embrace of a Spike Lee Joint, shedding the need for a carbon copy of things past and using it as a place to start for the future. It’s a legacy sequel to Spike’s career, and provides him the opportunity to reunite with Denzel Washington in spectacular fashion and thrilling results. Lee smartly allows everything to breath as opposed to speed things up like a lot of remakes and adaptions, keeping the introspective pacing but removing the languishing angst of its source. This allows “Highest 2 Lowest” to be playful and fun without undermining his more personal themes about class and the ever growing assault that streaming and online culture has launched on creativity. Lee is very much inside this film, and through his muse of Washington exacts his thoughts on the world and reflects on his legacy. It’s really brilliant stuff, and every passing frame becomes more and more Lee rather than a misguided attempt to be his influences.
Washington is superb as David King, a music mogul in the process of buying back his label in a risky move to have control over the empire his spent decades building. The deal is about to close when he gets a call from a kidnapper that his son has been taken and the ransom is everything King has tied up in this business takeover. But just as King is going to pay, it is revealed that the kidnapper grabbed the wrong kid, capturing King’s loyal driver’s son who he has adopted as his god son. Now King must decide if he should still pay that ransom, and weighs the consequences of either decision as time starts to run out. “Highest 2 Lowest” also stars Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and ASAP Rocky. Washington feels right at home at the direction of Lee, with Spike bringing out the best of his friend has to offer at this late stage in his career. Washington just chews through dialogue like butter with all the gusto of a savoy veteran. “Highest 2 Lowest” even features him in a battle rap battle, one of the funniest scenes of the year that generated whoops and hollers from my packed theater.
This brings up two things that are vital to discussing the film. 1, Washington having a literal battle rap with Asap Rocky demonstrates just how funny “Highest 2 Lowest” actually is. It has a vibrant, kinetic energy of Lee’s early work, almost to the point of seeming unserious if it weren’t for how important and personal it feels to the filmmaker. It’s more celebratory than somber, something Lee has always been very good at balancing even when he’s tackling complex themes and issues. And 2, the rollout – or lack thereof – of black cinema have been woefully mishandled by ALL studios, dumping excellence onto streaming and burying it. We saw it with “Nickel Boys” last year, and it is happening again with “Highest 2 Lowest.” Apple begrudgingly let A24 release it into like 10 theaters across the entire country (not really but it feels that way) and I can’t remember the last time I had such a difficult time to find showtimes for anything, let alone a brand new Spike Lee film starring Denzel.
And it’s made even more frustrating when my screening was nearly sold out. Not since “Sinners” have a seen that many people show out for a film. “Highest 2 Lowest” clearly has an audience and it deserves more than a buried release that feels like they don’t actually want people to see it. You SHOULD see it and you should be able to see it in a theater. Because a packed crowd showing up for Lee and Washington is the kind of cinematic experience we just don’t get often, and all signs in “Highest 2 Lowest” point to us probably not getting it ever again. It’s Lee near the end reflecting on his own legacy, and audiences are being robbed of the experience they clearly want for nothing. It’s a gross mishandling of an excellent product, and I’ll say for as long as it needs to be said: let people see your movies, you cowards!
Anyways, if you’re going to attempt such a risky reimagining of classic cinema, “Highest 2 Lowest” is about as good as you’re going to get. It feels modernized without shelving the core of the original and updates the narrative without pandering to modern sensibilities. It’s not reimagined to be for everyone; there’s no corporate board room crunching numbers to magically hit all 4 quadrants and set up 15 year long franchises. Like the titular character, Lee is taking back control of his own work, his own legacy and injecting his first loves into a neo-noir crime thriller. “Highest to Lowest” is better for it, and we are better for it too, because while this may not be his best film it is certainly Lee operating at his peak. It’s fun, thrilling, engaging, exciting, and highlights everything that matters to a master. Sure, it takes some time to get going and feels a little too messy to start, but once “Highest 2 Lowest” kicks into high gear it absolutely cooks and fires on all cylinders. Hell, even Asap Rocky is pretty decent on screen, and actually has some pretty funny line delivery and doesn’t feel out of place facing off against a great like Denzel.
Don’t misunderstand, Asap Rocky isn’t a superstar performer, more elevated by the greatness that surrounds him and not necessarily coming from his own innate talent. I’d also be remised if I didn’t mention the always reliable Jeffrey Wright, who pairs perfectly with Washington and every moment the two are on screen together is a joy to behold. “Highest 2 Lowest” gives them both some of the best lines delivered in rapid fire banter, and they genuinely feel like brothers every time they’re standing in a room together.
I’m glad I was able to see “Highest 2 Lowest” in a theater, and I genuinely feel bad for anyone whose only option is streaming at home. I get it, that’s the time we live in, but something is lost because of it and ultimately “Highest 2 Lowest” asks us to remember that.
From it’s opening of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma!, to its anti-AI sentiment, to an entire subway chanting “Boston Sucks!,” to Lee switching from digital to film when transitioning into the Subway to an apartment literally being numbers A24 to a Puerto Rico parade filled with reds and blues and salsa to music dad puns to again, Denzel in a rap battle, “Highest 2 Lowest” is a bold experiment packed with great ideas, excellent performances, a thrilling story and just a genuine good time at the movies.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“Highest 2 Lowest” is playing in select theaters and will be on Apple TV+ August 22nd. You can watch the trailer below.
