Spike Lee and Denzel Washington reteam for their fifth collaboration in Highest 2 Lowest, a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s classic crime thriller High and Low.

David King (Denzel Washington), the legendary Stackin’ Hits Records executive with “the best ears in the business,” is fighting to preserve his music empire as a looming corporate merger threatens to redefine his legacy. Determined to stay in control, he risks his personal fortune to buy back the label, convinced his track record will carry him through. His ultimate goal is to pass the company down to his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph).

Everything changes when King receives a ransom call demanding $17.5 million for the safe return of Trey. The crisis deepens when he and his wife Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) discover the real victim is Trey’s best friend, Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of King’s longtime driver, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright). With too little cash to save both Paul’s son and his career, King faces a wrenching moral decision.

Lee returns to New York City for the first time in over a decade to helm his 24th narrative feature, and in Highest 2 Lowest he poses some very tough questions. What would you do to save either your own child or the child of someone close to you? For David King, saving his company means there isn’t enough money to do both. You feel the weight of this moral dilemma pressing equally on the Kings and on Paul, the boy’s father. A side effect of the kidnapping going viral is that several of Stackin’ Hits’ tracks start tearing up the charts, a pointed reminder of how quickly tragedy and fame can intersect.

Interestingly, it was Washington who first sent the Highest 2 Lowest script to Lee, making a fifth collaboration between them almost inevitable. The connection to High and Low runs deep—Kurosawa’s film also starred a frequent collaborator in the role of a corporate executive, though here the industry has changed from shoemaking to music. The moral stakes, however, are just as sharp. Lee has drawn from Kurosawa before—Rashomon inspired his 1986 debut She’s Gotta Have It—but this marks his first narrative feature since Da 5 Bloods.

Highest 2 Lowest wrestles with the pull between artistic integrity and commercial pressure, the modern hunger for celebrity at any cost, and the deep economic divides that can push people toward desperate, even dangerous, choices. Integrity looms large in the story, especially in an era where AI is increasingly used to generate content. Step into the shoes of a music executive and it’s easy to see why selling to a company without the same artistic care could be cause for alarm—it becomes the business of music rather than the music business. Whether this conversation began in Alan Fox’s script or was added later, it’s undeniably relevant right now.

The Kings’ penthouse at the Olympia Dumbo offers spectacular views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge, and its interiors—featuring replicas of Lee’s own art collection—could easily be mistaken for the filmmaker’s home. Among Highest 2 Lowest’s standout set pieces is one staged on a Sunday when the New York Yankees are hosting the Boston Red Sox, coinciding with the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in the South Bronx. It plays as a sly homage to The French Connection, especially poignant after the recent losses of William Friedkin and Gene Hackman.

There’s also room for some levity in Highest 2 Lowest: two State Farm Easter eggs, one nodding to Jake from State Farm and another to Mayhem, the Dean Winters commercial character—fittingly, Winters appears here as Det. Higgins. My screening audience roared at those moments. There’s even an apartment door with the number “A24,” which drew a mix of laughs and groans.

At just over two hours, the film does feel its length. I found myself glancing at my watch more than once, but that doesn’t make Highest 2 Lowest a bad film—it’s ambitious, thoughtful, and anchored by performances that make the moral stakes hit home.

Ultimately, Highest 2 Lowest may not be Spike Lee’s most finely tuned work, but it’s a potent return to New York and a reminder of his gift for blending moral urgency with cultural commentary. The story resonates through its exploration of integrity, loyalty, and the cost of ambition, while highlighting a culture obsessed with fame and the economic divides that can push people to extreme measures. Even after the credits roll, these questions linger, giving the film a weight that stays with you.

DIRECTOR: Spike Lee
SCREENWRITER: Alan Fox
CAST: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and A$AP Rocky

A24 and Apple will release Highest 2 Lowest in theaters on August 15, 2025. Apple TV+ will start streaming the film on September 5. Grade: 3.5/5

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