Review: Denzel Washington Smolders In Spike Lee's Elegiac Yet Ebullient 'Highest 2 Lowest'

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” reimagines Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low” with swagger and urgency tuned to the pulse and politics of modern-day New York. Swapping corporate intrigue for the spectacle of the music industry, Lee refracts Kurosawa’s moral crucible through unchecked ambition, racial inequity and generational tension — all set against the backdrop of urban complexity.

Tonally, the film oscillates between elegiac introspection and ebullient bravado, crafting a story that’s emotionally charged, unpredictable and stylistically bold. What begins as a tale of mistaken identity and ransom quickly turns into a compelling meditation on entitlement, power and conscience.

The first half plays like a slow-burn melodrama, steeped in grandeur, opulence and egotistical pursuits.

The camera pans. It lingers. Glass walls diffuse light. Designer furniture gleams, framed by panoramic views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline. The penthouse stuns — but it’s the moody, jazzy score that tells the truth. Opulence wrapped in isolation. An empire on the brink.

At the heart of it all is Denzel Washington as David King, a once-revered titan in the music world. His wealth is in flux — his ear for talent fading, his empire slipping. A conglomerate is poised to acquire his business, but he refuses to relinquish control. His solution? Buy back shares from a wavering board member to block the sale. Just as he scrambles for his next move, the unthinkable happens: his son Trey (Aubrey Joseph) is kidnapped. The ransom? $17.5 million — almost exactly what King needs to regain his stake.

Then comes the twist: it wasn’t Trey who was taken, but the son of King’s chauffeur — a loyal employee living on the fringes of King’s orbit. Should King still pay, knowing the child isn’t his? Or protect his crumbling empire and risk losing his soul?

The dilemma echoes Kurosawa’s original moral quandary — where postwar Japan’s class divisions are now refracted through America’s racial and economic fault lines. The chauffeur’s son stands as an emblem of the other side in a world divided by access, visibility and wealth.

King’s decision — or indecision — becomes the film’s moral fulcrum. The ransom is a test of conscience, empathy and redemption — where ego dictates the answer, and the need to maintain appearances eclipses them all.

Washington delivers a performance that’s equal parts gravitas and vulnerability, anchoring the film with a quiet intensity that deepens its moral stakes. His portrayal of David King is layered and restrained, revealing a man struggling with moral ambivalence. Every glance, every pause, every clipped line of dialogue reflects a man wrestling with the erosion of his power and the weight of his conscience.

The supporting cast adds texture: Jeffrey Wright brings cerebral weight as King’s confidant; Ilfenesh Hadera lends quiet strength as his estranged wife. Ice Spice, in a sharp debut, plays a viral pop star whose ambition reflects the generational shift leaving King behind. A$AP Rocky delivers charisma and menace as the down-on-his-luck rapper turned kidnapper, blurring the line between villain and victim.

“Highest 2 Lowest” radiates with Lee’s signature flourishes — direct-to-camera monologues, split screens and rhythmic editing that echo the beat of a city that never sleeps and the pulse of an industry in constant flux. His command of tone is most compelling: he never loses sight of the emotional core, even as the film dances between satire and sincerity, spectacle and stillness.

Matthew Libatique’s evocative cinematography and Terrace Martin’s subtle score shape the film’s emotional rhythm. Libatique paints King’s world in icy blues and sterile whites, while the kidnapper’s domain pulses with neon reds and bruised purples, punctuated by Martin’s saxophone riffs. Together, the duo’s synergy fuels the second act’s pulsing momentum as it hits the pavement of the streets.

While “Highest 2 Lowest” may not be Lee’s most profound work, it’s a bold and entertaining ride — blending classic noir with modern swagger and offering a sharp look at power, conscience and relevance.

Lee brings the pulse, Washington brings the quiet storm — “Highest 2 Lowest” is a two-man masterclass in tension.