Spike Lee’s newest film, “Highest to Lowest” (H2L), marks the first collaboration between the director and his frequent leading man, Denzel Washington, in 19 years.
Adapting the 1963 film High and Low by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, Lee seamlessly rejuvenates one of cinema’s most lauded tales of mistaken kidnapping and class conflict. H2L depicts the struggle of music mogul David King (Washington) as his chauffeur’s (Jeffrey Wright) son is kidnapped and ransomed for $17.5 million by a stranger (A$AP Rocky).
In yet another home run hit for Lee, H2L showcases his trademark directorial style, while incorporating the names and identities of iconic Black figures like Toni Morrison, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and Zora Neale Hurston (a decision which cements in the viewers’ minds the importance of Black history in constructing Black reality). This combination of history and modernity is unique to Lee’s films; as many would be hard to name any movie like H2L that is not also directed by Lee.
Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansmen and Clockers come to mind when watching Lee’s notorious repeat takes of the same action: the incredible use of music to convey motive and emotion and small, inconsequential details like a Malcolm X poster in Paul’s (Wright) room, a New Yorker breaking the fourth wall to hate the Red Sox or the grainy film flashbacks to a fonder time that occur throughout the film.
While this reviewer adores Kurosawa’s original film, it’s hard to strongly recommend watching it prior to H2L due to the re-adaptation’s numerous differences from its source material. The former revels in masterful actor blocking, explosively emotional moments and a patient movement of the camera seldom seen in film, let alone a film about a kidnapping and ransom.
The latter, however, is highlighted for several other reasons, such as the greater number of conversations between characters that reveal modern notions of morality, the intersection of class violence and parasocial behavior, ‘cancel culture’ in difficult situations and much, much more. Washington, Wright, Rocky and brief cameos from Rosie Perez and Ice Spice bring Kurosawa’s tale of class and self-discovery into 2025 effortlessly.
While some may frown at yet another film remake, Highest 2 Lowest is like no other, piercing through standards set by Kurosawa and producing a wholly unique vision of this story.
