Denzel Washington reveals 2 reasons it was time for a Spike Lee reunion
It has been 19 years since actor Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee had collaborated on Inside Man in 2006. The heist thriller was the fourth project the duo worked on together -- He Got Game (1998), Malcolm X (1992) and Mo' Better Blues (1990) being the others -- and Lee was one of the handful of directors that the Oscar-winner had worked with multiple times.
With Highest 2 Lowest debuting in theaters this week, the pair has reunited for a fifth time. The thrilling drama, which also stars Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, Wendell Pierce and Aubrey Joseph, is a reimagining of the Akira Kurosawa classic High And Low (1963). Record label guru David King (Washington) must weigh his personal and professional morals as he internally battles with what to do after the son of his driver (Wright) gets mistakenly taken in a botched kidnapping where King's son was the actual target. Should he still pay the ransom? What responsibility does he have in this situation?
For Washington, now was the right time to reconnect with Lee for two reasons. "It was a New York script, New York story," Washington told For The Win in a recent interview. "The script came to me before Spike [Lee]. He's a New York guy. I'm a New York guy."
The second reason was very simple.
"Trust," Washington stated before referring to the two other directors he has also worked with a career-high five times. "I trust Antoine Fuqua. I trust Spike and obviously, Tony Scott, God rest his soul."
New York City was very much at the soul of this movie, taking place predominantly in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Sweeping establishing shots show Lee's undying love for The City That Never Sleeps. There are multiple Yankee Stadium references and Yankee fans (shoutout to Nicholas Turturro), and the great pianist and Latin musician Eddie Palmieri -- who sadly passed last week -- and his Salsa Orchestra are prominently featured.
"It was such a no-brainer for me to call Spike, because it's a New York story. And needless to say, I think he kind of likes New York," Washington added with a laugh. "If the story took place in Kansas City, I might have called somebody else."
Despite a slow start, which the story almost necessitates with all the build up, Highest 2 Lowest thrives when the audience gets to see Washington do what he does best. He has been doing this since 1977, and it is truly still a delight just to be able to watch him on screen. Paired with Wright -- and a really fantastic A$AP Rocky -- it's a recipe for success.
Highest 2 Lowest, an A24 and Apple Original Films production, is in theaters on August 15.
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