There are few partnerships in Hollywood as electric as that between Denzel Washington and Spike Lee. Now, in their fifth collaboration, the duo returns with the crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest, a film that’s already setting the tone for late summer cinema. The movie opened in theaters this weekend and is slated for streaming on Apple TV Plus starting September 5, 2025, according to Sunbeam Television Corp. For fans of both Washington and Lee, this reunion is more than a nostalgic callback—it’s a testament to their staying power and creative chemistry.
Washington, whose previous work with Lee includes classics like Malcolm X and Inside Man, stars as David King, a fabulously wealthy New York record executive. The story, as reviewed by The Austin Chronicle on August 15, 2025, unfolds with King perched high above the city in his penthouse, seemingly untouchable. But trouble comes knocking when his teenage son, Trey (played by Aubrey Joseph), is kidnapped, and a staggering ransom of $17.5 million is demanded. As King scrambles to reclaim control over his music label in the boardroom, he’s simultaneously forced into a harrowing personal crisis that tests the limits of his wealth and wits.
The film’s premise may ring a bell for cinephiles. Highest 2 Lowest is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low and the 1959 crime novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain. While Lee borrows the skeleton of the story, he’s not content to simply remake the original. Instead, he injects his signature style and a distinctly New York flavor, opening the film with a sly wink as the city’s skyline glimmers to the tune of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” from Oklahoma!—a playful choice that sets the stage for the drama to come.
Washington’s performance, as noted by The Austin Chronicle, is nothing short of magnetic. Donning sharp suits and cool shades, he navigates the shifting moods of David King with precision, moving from intimidation to affection in a heartbeat. The review compares his command of the screen to that of Toshiro Mifune, the legendary Japanese actor who anchored Kurosawa’s original. “In the pantheon of great actors who can chew scenery with gusto, Washington is in every way an equal to Toshiro Mifune,” the review raves.
But Washington isn’t the only heavyweight in the cast. Jeffrey Wright, another actor known for his gravitas, takes on a crucial supporting role. Both actors have been candid about the importance of family in their lives, a theme that’s woven into the fabric of the film. In an interview with Sunbeam Television Corp., Wright reflected, “I’ve found, you know, as I’ve gotten older and had children, that, you know, there are other considerations that I had to make in terms of the work that I did that I, you know, I did not have to consider when it was just me.” Washington echoed the sentiment, recalling his own journey: “My mother used to say, ‘Do what you got to do, so that you can do what you want to do.’ It’s not the other way around. You know, when I had, when we had four children, I was doing stuff I had to do. You go back and look in the mid ’90s. I won’t mention any movies: I’ll just say the mid ’90s, around in there.” Wright replied with a chuckle, “A couple for the kids.” Washington responded, “Yeah, yeah, a couple, more than a couple for the kids and the wife in the house and in the bank and everybody else!”
That sense of familial responsibility is mirrored in Highest 2 Lowest’s plot, where King’s desperation to save his son collides with the harsh realities of his public and private life. The film doesn’t just focus on the mechanics of a kidnapping—it delves into the emotional toll such an ordeal takes on a parent and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones.
However, not every creative choice hits the mark. According to The Austin Chronicle, the musical score by Howard Drossin, while intentionally old-fashioned, can be overwhelming at times, “dialed up to 11” and occasionally distracting from the character-driven moments. This is a surprising move, given Lee’s reputation for using music as an organic extension of his storytelling. Still, the film redeems itself with a second-act action set-piece that sweeps through Yankees gameday crowds and the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. The review describes this sequence as “about as virtuosic as anything Lee has put to screen in his four exceptional decades of work,” pulsing with energy and tension as the narrative races toward its climax.
Lee’s adaptation isn’t without its quirks. There are minor inconsistencies in the script, such as the backstory of King’s much younger wife, played by Ilfenesh Hadera, which doesn’t quite square with the timeline of his career. These details, while distracting for eagle-eyed viewers, don’t detract substantially from the film’s overall impact. The supporting cast, which includes Elijah Wright, A$AP Rocky, Michael Potts, Dean Winters, and Ice Spice, helps round out the world of Highest 2 Lowest, grounding its high-stakes drama in a believable, bustling New York.
For those eager to catch the film on the big screen, Highest 2 Lowest is currently showing at venues like the Alamo Drafthouse Village in Austin, Texas, with screenings scheduled through August 20, 2025. The film runs 133 minutes and carries an R rating, promising a gritty, no-holds-barred experience for adult audiences.
Perhaps what makes this film most notable, beyond its star power and slick direction, is its exploration of what it means to have everything—and how quickly it can all be put at risk. Lee, never one to shy away from probing the complexities of race, class, and power, offers a story that, while less pointed in its social critique than some of his earlier work, still resonates in an era when the gap between the haves and have-nots feels wider than ever.
As the credits roll, viewers are left to ponder not just the fate of David King and his family, but the broader questions the film raises about loyalty, sacrifice, and the true cost of success. For Washington and Lee, Highest 2 Lowest is another feather in the cap of a partnership that has shaped modern cinema. And for audiences, it’s a reminder that sometimes, the sweetest spot comes after five unforgettable rounds.
