Highest 2 Lowest Review

Success isn't worth losing your humanity.

Highest 2 Lowest is one of the most challenging films I've encountered to review. Spike Lee's reimagining of Kurosawa's masterpiece High and Low in modern-day is messy, tonally incoherent at times, and a head-scratcher when it comes to its first half. I sat there during the opening hour, questioning if Lee still had it, and a sudden lightning strike of fear came over me as I whispered to myself, "Oh no, am I in a bad movie?" A cinephile's worst nightmare. Then something happened. We got to the iconic train robbery scene from the original, a pivotal moment that not only pays homage to Kurosawa's work but also serves as a turning point in Lee's film. The Masaru Satō score started mixing the old with the new, and from that point in Spike Lee locked the fuck in and gave us a banger. Denzel Washington gets this look in his eye, like a tiger about to pounce on its prey, and devours this second half with one of his late-career bests. Spike completely dominates the conversation, as this is clearly a reflective look at his impact on black culture and what that means in 2025 as a filmmaker. What does fame mean to him now in his age, and is this one of the most Gen X movies of all time? All I know is that I was levitating out of my seat for the second half of the film, as if I were on the floating dolly, and it proved that Lee can still do new and exciting things with the form.

Highest 2 Lowest follows music mogul David King (Denzel Washington) as he is working to buy back his majority share of the record company he started when he believes his son has been kidnapped for a ransom. It turns out that it was actually his son's best friend and the son of his driver and personal confidant, Paul Christopher (Jeffery Wright). This revelation adds a complex layer to the narrative, as King now has to choose to still pay the ransom for a boy who is not his son and risk giving up his power and control of the record company he created in doing so. King will stop at nothing to stop those responsible for this, leading to a high-stakes and emotionally charged second half of the film.

Highest 2 Lowest has to be grouped with late directors' reflective pieces, such as Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 and David Cronenberg's The Shrouds. In both those works, we see two long tenured directors reflecting on time and possibly the world that has passed them by. Juror #2 has Eastwood reflecting on the American Dream and what one might do to protect those sacred ideals, and at what cost. Cronenberg's The Shrouds explores a man's grief over the passage of time and how we can still connect with those who are gone, as well as whether our connections ever truly leave us. Lee's reflection is with himself and that of black capitalism and culture, and where it's all gone today. The film delves into the complexities of black capitalism and culture, questioning the value of art in a society driven by numbers and profit. Does the art matter, does the number of followers, subscribers, or views make the most cash happen to be why we do what we do? Denzel Washington is a conduit through which Lee can push his thoughts on young people and the entertainment business as a whole. This isn't the first time Lee has tried to tackle Hollywood and what it means to be Black in an industry that is rooted with racism. PLEASE WATCH BAMBOOZLED (2000). What's interesting here is the passage of time and how Lee feels older with his sternness towards the youth of today, and maybe trying to use this as a parable not to repeat mistakes he had made earlier in his career.

I want to hop back to my thoughts on the first half of the film because maybe, in rewatch and time, I will come to appreciate what Lee is setting up for a volcanic second half, but at the moment, it's not to be desired. First off, it looks bad, like I'm watching a tier 4 Apple TV Show from the lighting and blocking, all of which feel so generic for a filmmaker of his caliber. Tone is hindered by this overly serious and loud piano score playing over what are presumed to be scenes intended to build tension, which all feel out of sorts. The editing too feels purposefully messy, which again I might come back to see as a playing with form, but I can't help but feel the whole first half is a mess that had my doubt and eyebrows raised to what Lee was pushing out. The acting, too, like Washington's wife Pam King (Ilfenesh Hadera), is bad, as Lee gave her one take and moved on. Washington in the first half as well seems to be all over the place, and I'm telling you once that train robbery comes in my pupils began to dilate.

The train robbery sequence, in which it's supposed to be the exchange between Washington and the kidnappers, is unbelievably thrilling. The cat-and-mouse game between the police and the thieves switching motorcycles through New York City is one of the best action heist sequences of the year, no doubt. Washington is selling to us the gravity and seriousness of the situation we have put ourselves in, and I love that we can see him fully come into this character in this moment. From this moment on, Washington and Wright's characters are possessed by the spirit of Charles Bronson and embark on their own Death Wish to seek revenge on those who've wronged them. The showdown between the kidnapper Yung Felon (ASAP Rocky) and Washington is deeply insightful into where we have gone today with the separation between class, culture, and Washington raps to it with a gun in hand, which rocks. The way Denzel takes control and the presence he exudes over ASAP in this scene and the wildly split camera scene in jail had my jaw on the floor and reminds me why he's one of our greatest living actors. The focus and determination to the top is all there, and it's devastating.

Highest 2 Lowest may start as a one-for-one remake of the original in modern times. Still, it quickly evolves into a totally different reimagining that will have the hairs on the back of many audience members standing straight up. Lee reminds us that he is one of the kings of cinema and has clearly taken the time to understand Kurosawa's original masterpiece, adding his own creative spin to his life's work. I will totally understand if many viewers will check out in the first half, BUT HOLDDDDD. If you buy in for the second half, I promise you are in for something special, but this is why this is a difficult film to recommend. But come on, it's Lee and Washington back together for one last ride, buckle up!

Final Score: 8/10

Written by Kevin J. Pettit

I would highly suggest to check out other reviews from Black critics as well!