Highest 2 Lowest
Few film collaborations have been as fruitful and a joy to witness as the one between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.
Following their phenomenal ‘90s run of Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, and He Got Game, the writer/director/actor and arguably our greatest living actor reunite in Highest 2 Lowest for their first teaming since Inside Man (2006) — and pick right back up where they left off.
Working from (i.e. embellishing in his own distinct ways) an impressive script by debut feature screenwriter Alan Fox that reimagines Akira Kurosawa's 1963 masterpiece High and Low, Lee quickly sets his version apart by being quite possibly the director’s most New York-iest film. While his other works generally stick to one borough or even a single street, this one celebrates his hometown’s grandeur to a greater degree, employing stunning opening drone footage that expresses the vast empire of David King (Washington).
A music mogul who influences and inspires others to a degree that he has no true real-world analog, David sees a risky opportunity to regain control of his company and takes it. That same day, his basketball prodigy son Trey (Aubrey Joseph, The Night Of) is kidnapped and held for ransom, and though it turns out the criminals mistakenly nabbed David’s godson Kyle (Elijah Wright, Godfather of Harlem) — the son of his live-in, ex-con driver Paul (Jeffrey Wright, Elijah’s real-life father) — they still demand the $17.5 million and threaten to kill the young man if David doesn't comply.
Similar to the fascinating predicament facing Toshiro Mifune’s wealthy executive Kingo Gondo in Kurosawa's film, David weighs his obligations, public perception, and financial future, and his interactions with his family, Paul, the police, and the ransomer (A$AP Rocky, Dope) produce some of Washington’s best moments in what's a very good overall performance — his best since The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021).
This initial stretch is marred only by cliché racist Det. Higgins (Dean Winters, 30 Rock), whose excessive contempt for Paul quickly outstays its welcome. But during a riveting sequence where David and the cops attempt to outsmart the kidnappers while the Puerto Rican Day Parade and a Yankees game are happening, the annoying officer gets his comeuppance, suggesting that the Allstate “Mayhem” actor is probably in on the joke.
When things don’t go quite as planned, a nifty clue and turning point show David's gifts (and serve as a catalyst to him rediscovering his love for music), but it's also a tad simple — especially compared to the knotty mystery of the original. However, Lee isn't interested in remaking High and Low; he and Fox are just borrowing its outline for a new, decidedly modern (and decidedly anti-AI) story that isn't slavishly beholden to its source material.
While this surprisingly swift turn of events minimizes the thrill of witnessing The Wire-approved good police work, it leads to riveting shots of Washington and fellow legend Wright riding in David’s Rolls Royce and getting themselves pumped up for action with some help from James Brown. Full of witty/corny retorts, Wright’s Paul referencing famous insurance company commercials when referring to his firearms is a top candidate for the year’s funniest moment and helps defuse this tense situation as it’s about to go down.
Not helping matters throughout Highest 2 Lowest is Howard Drossin’s score — a bastardized blend of Terence Blanchard and Bruce Hornsby compositions that have populated practically every Lee movie since at least the last time he worked with Washington. But overly familiar sounds aside, there are more than enough other elements of Lee’s filmmaking present here that have yet to go out of style. And if he keeps throwing viewers creative curveballs like this one, he’s more than welcome to keep doing whatever the hell he wants.
Grade: B-plus. Rated R. Starts Aug. 15 at the Fine Arts Theatre.
(Photo: A24)
