It seems that Denzel Washington’s reunification with Spike Lee for their fifth cinematic collaboration brings equal parts style, tension and witty dialogue, as depicted in the latest trailer for Highest 2 Lowest.
Lee’s recontextualization of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low in New York City follows a dramatic ransom plot centered around a bigwig music mogul (Washington), who boasts the “best ears in the business” and carries himself with swagger as he announces to his underlings: “Wake up, y’all. The king’s here.” A “life-or-death moral dilemma” later emerges as his son is abducted by Yung Felon, an aspiring musician played by real-life rapper and Ray-Ban creative director A$AP Rocky, who also contributed original music to the production.
Highest 2 Lowest marks Washington’s first appearance in a Lee-directed movie since 2006’s Inside Man, which was preceded by a string of team-ups for Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. Written by newcomer Alan Fox, the film also stars Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and Ice Spice in her big screen debut.
Having recently debuted at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Highest 2 Lowest has already scored an 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes based on 37 critics who’ve largely praised the work, though most agree that it’s not the best of either Lee or Washington’s career. The U.K.’s Telegraph wrote, “everything old is new again, and as remakes of world cinema classics go, Lee’s film makes an irresistible case for its own existence.” Rolling Stone praised Washington in particular, opining, “Folks hoping for the hug-the-corners heights of [Lee’s] extraordinary heist flick Inside Man may find themselves squirming restlessly in their seats.
Regardless, it pairs him with one of his best collaborators, and once again makes the case that few actors do the right thing better than Denzel Washington.” Meanwhile, the AV Club declared, “After a slow start, Spike Lee makes Highest 2 Lowest a thriller worthy of Denzel Washington.” Highest 2 Lowest hits theaters on August 15 before heading to Apple TV+ on September 5. Watch the official trailer below: