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Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
In ‘Highest 2 Lowest,' Spike Lee swings between tonal extremes, not always effectively
From the opening moments of 'Highest 2 Lowest,' Spike Lee's remix-as-remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller 'High and Low,' you should know that the filmmaker is here primarily for a good time and he's asking us to play along. Over aerial shots of the sun hitting the New York City skyline, including the stunning Olympia building looming over Brooklyn, Lee layers 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin',' the opening song from the 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Oklahoma!,' a jarring, cheeky choice that jolts us out of what we might think a Spike Lee Kurosawa remake is supposed to be. The Japanese auteur has long been a major influence on Lee, and when the script for 'Highest 2 Lowest' (by Alan Fox), which had been in development with other filmmakers, came his way, Lee made it his own. He also cast longtime collaborator Denzel Washington, an apt pairing. Kurosawa had Toshiro Mifune; Lee has Washington. (It's their fifth film together.) This all sounds great on paper, but what ends up on screen is a confusingly mixed bag. Kurosawa's 'High and Low' was based on the 1959 Ed McBain cop novel 'King's Ransom,' about a moral dilemma that becomes an identity crisis for a wealthy man. Transporting the action to Japan's post-World War II economic boom, Kurosawa examined class differences in the country. Though Lee uses the text to comment on the haves and have-nots too, his focus is trained on the 21st century attention economy dictated by the social media hordes. When we pick up with David King (Washington) on the balcony of his Olympia penthouse, he knows that a change is going to come this beautiful morning. A superstar music mogul, King is aware that his company, Stackin' Hits, is about to be sold out from under him. Secretly, he's set a plan in motion to orchestrate a leveraged buyout and take control of the sale. But when he receives a call that his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), has been snatched off the street and the kidnappers are demanding $17.5 million, his scheme to save his company goes up in smoke. But then, Trey shows up. As it happens, the kidnappers have mistakenly taken his son's best friend, Kyle (Elijah Wright), the child of David's longtime confidant and driver, Paul (Jeffrey Wright), a devout Muslim rich in street smarts but not money. David's personal relief is cut short when he has to decide if he's going to pay the ransom and save his best friend's kid — and his face, considering the media scrutiny — or follow his dream and save his company. 'Highest 2 Lowest' mimics the high and low bisection of Kurosawa's film, with the first hour set in the moneyed confines of the Kings' luxe apartment, laden with priceless African American contemporary art. As cinematographer Matthew Libatique's camera lingers over the Basquiat and Kehinde Wiley paintings, one might wonder why he doesn't just sell a few to remedy his money problems. The first hour of 'Highest 2 Lowest' is more baffling than anything else. The fluid long-take cinematography by Libatique is impeccable, but with a melodramatic tone courtesy of a distracting, over-the-top score by Howard Drossin and weak performances from the supporting cast, it feels more like a Tyler Perry movie than a Spike Lee joint. But then, liberation: The film hits the streets and Lee unfolds an absolutely sublime piece of kinetic New York City filmmaking, a chase scene with a subway car full of Yankees fans chanting their anti-Boston sentiments intercut with a Puerto Rican Day Parade performance by the Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra. Finally, we're cooking with gas. It's one of the best sequences of the year. David and Paul take matters into their own hands while searching for Kyle's kidnapper, who turns out to be an aspiring rapper named Yung Felon (an excellent ASAP Rocky). Washington and Rocky face off in two electric scenes in the back half of the movie, both times separated by glass: a recording booth and a jail visitation. Rocky capably steps up to Washington's loose but intense actorly flow and contributes a great song to the soundtrack too. Washington is unsurprisingly mesmerizing, improvising small gestures and throwaway lines. But there's still an element of camp and goofy humor that lingers, taking away from the script's leaner, meaner elements. Generously, one might interpret this as a Brechtian nod toward the film's artifice as an arch and knowing remake laden with references. But that keeps us at a distance from the emotional reality of these characters. When Lee brings everything home with a message about creating real art from the heart and the responsibility of stewarding Black culture, it's a bit too late to take it seriously. 'Highest 2 Lowest' has its highs and lows, and when the highs are high, it soars. Those pesky lows are certainly hard to shake though. Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Highest 2 Lowest' review: Spike Lee and Denzel Washington re-team for a heist movie that pays off
The 1959 Ed McBain crime novel 'King's Ransom' has crossed the Pacific Ocean twice now, and its latest screen incarnation, 'Highest 2 Lowest,' makes for a disarming hand-off from the stern gravity of Akira Kurosawa to the exuberant restlessness of Spike Lee. It's also serious where it counts — in its reminder that cheapening a product, the thing you make, helps a bottom line only so long. In the McBain novel as well as the 1963 Kurosawa drama 'High and Low,' the protagonist's business was shoes. In 'Highest 2 Lowest,' Lee and debut feature screenwriter Alan Fox trade footwear for music, with Denzel Washington as a celebrated record label executive facing a kidnapping crisis, a scramble to hang onto everything he's worked for and a battle for his own soul. Some of that is handled on the story's surface. The best of it carves through that surface. 'Highest 2 Lowest' works with all the freedom and genre crisscrossing director Lee embraces so readily, as his latest, open-hearted valentine to New York City frames the ransom narrative. That narrative unfolds in the neighborhood of Kurosawa's version for about an hour. Music mogul David King (Washington) may be struggling to keep his empire together, as we learn, but the wry, ridiculously white opening-credits underscoring of 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'' accompanying elegant footage of King's penthouse view of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan beyond it, sets up a story of Black enterprise and the high cost of selling out. King, his regal wife Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) and their son Trey (Aubrey Joseph) share a luxe Brooklyn waterfront perch with King's friend and driver Paul (Jeffrey Wright), whose own son Kyle (Elijah Wright, Jeffrey's real-life son) is Trey's best friend. At basketball practice, an unknown kidnapper grabs King's son for a $17.5 million ransom, only to learn he abducted Kyle, not Trey. 'Highest 2 Lowest' follows the same route, more or less, as Kurosawa's 'High and Low' up until King drops the ransom money from a moving subway. Then director Lee remaps the story, so that King's music milieu is exploited in intriguing and unexpected ways. A lot of detail work pays off; at one point, preceding a sharply realized encounter between Trey and his father in Trey's bedroom, we see crestfallen Trey, safe at home but guilt-wracked for his abducted friend, doom-scrolling through conspiracy theories suggesting this 'nepo baby' staged the kidnapping for personal gain. Lee's film offers many rewards, many of them performance-based. These rewards may cost you some pocket change in terms of plausibility and such. The wealthy, somewhat callous protagonist (Washington here, Toshiro Mifune back in '63) initially balks at paying the ransom money and wiping out his business to save his friend's son's life. Does changing your mind and doing the right thing when an innocent life hangs in the balance constitute a true and compelling crisis of conscience in 'Highest 2 Lowest'? Or just a strategic delay? The latter for me. Other snags are purely visual, notably the capper to the scene where King must toss the bag of ransom millions at a specific time and place, from a speeding elevated train. The capper relies on such an insane bit of coincidental timing, you may feel as if you're experiencing a series of micro-strokes watching it play out. But then, you know, you move on, because the payoffs that actually pay off more than compensate. Watching Washington and Wright share any of their scenes in 'Highest 2 Lowest' is pure pleasure. They're two of the greatest screen actors we have, that's all. Wright can take a simple line like 'Am I being detained?' and turn it into a summit of desperate meaning; it comes when Wright's character, pressing for police cooperation in the botched kidnapping, nearly loses his self-control because the cops in the King's penthouse are losing theirs. Washington, meantime, gives King not just stature, but ripples of conflict and doubt. The storyline needs them, and needs an actor who keeps us guessing. Scripted or improvised, at one point King expresses a private moment of rage wordlessly, pretending to finger-shoot a couple of weaselly colleagues after they've left his office, and then turning the pretend gun on himself. It's not played for laughs. Washington plays it for something a lot more interesting. Throughout, Lee treats this project with a generous viewfinder, as he and masterly cinematographer Matthew Libatique scope out everything from Eddie Palmieri, Rosie Perez and Anthony Ramos at the Puerto Rican Day parade to Nicholas Turturro screaming 'BOSTON SUCKS!' directly to the camera, warming the hearts of Yankees fans everywhere, none more devoted than the director of 'Highest 2 Lowest.' A model of conventional thriller suspense, the movie isn't. A stimulating cry for 'Black culture and artistic integrity,' in King's words, and for the true value of a well-made commodity, whether it's shoes or songs — that, the movie surely is. 'Highest 2 Lowest' — 3 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: R (for language throughout and brief drug use) Running time: 2:13 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Aug. 15; streaming on Apple TV + Sept. 5.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Highest 2 Lowest' movie review: Spike Lee, Denzel Washington are still a hit duo
Hearing the strains of 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' ' as Denzel Washington's music mogul steps out from his New York City penthouse, you know there's only one way his day's going to go in Spike Lee's new crime thriller, 'Highest 2 Lowest.' Professional uncertainty and a massive moral dilemma take Washington's character on a quest through the streets of Lee's beloved Big Apple in this absorbing reimagining (★★★ out of four; rated R; in theaters Aug. 15 and streaming on Apple TV+ Sept. 5) of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 drama 'High and Low.' And although they haven't collaborated in a while, this teaming of old friends Lee and Washington soars once it gets cooking. David King (Washington) is famous for having 'the best ears' in the music business – even his Beats are golden – but after decades of discovering chart-topping artists with his Stackin' Hits label, the industry has bypassed him as AI and social media have trumped the music itself. With a lucrative merger deal on the table, King decides to instead buy back his company, keep it in the family, and one day hand it down to son Trey (Aubrey Joseph). As King and his wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera), figure out the financial logistics, he learns that his kid has vanished from a college basketball camp and gets a ransom call from a stranger: $17.5 million or he never sees Trey again. In a twist, the kidnappers mistakenly snatch Trey's buddy Kyle (Elijah Wright) – the son of King's driver and childhood friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright) – but the deal for Kyle's life remains. Cops get involved, bristling worried dad Paul, and a street-level narrative unfolds that takes the story from a Puerto Rican Day parade and Yankee Stadium to darker corners of the city as King weighs how much he'll do to save Kyle versus save his label. Alan Fox's screenplay revamps Kurosawa's original script (itself adapted from Ed McBain's novel 'King's Ransom"), and Lee crafts a film that explores things he loves: music, history and sports. In that way, it feels very much like a signature 'Spike Lee Joint.' The pacing is uneven at times, in the more melodramatic beginning and as the police get increasingly involved in the kidnapping, yet there are scenes when it's best to just buckle up for the ride. One exquisitely crafted sequence with shades of 1970s white-knuckle affairs like 'The French Connection' involves King, a Jordan book bag chock-full of Swiss francs, mysterious figures on motorbikes, and a subway train rocking with crazed Yankee fans. Lee has long had a love for Kurosawa – the Japanese master's 'Rashomon' was an inspiration behind the famed Brooklynite's 'She's Gotta Have It' – and does him justice. 'Highest 2 Lowest' is a better outing than recent Lee remakes like the middling 'Oldboy' and 'Da Sweet Blood of Jesus,' and the latest in a streak of movies ('Chi-Raq,' 'BlacKkKlansman' and 'Da Five Bloods') that continues to cement Lee's status as an essential Hollywood voice. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington reunite for the fifth time in 'Highest 2 Lowest' 'Highest' also marks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington and the first since 2006's 'Inside Man.' A couple of those – 'He Got Game' and 'Malcolm X' – find Washington leading some of the director's finest works, and with this new film, Lee brings an almost 'Training Day'-esque intensity out of Washington alongside an artistic, grounded soul. Washington and the movie mostly find their mojo in the latter half as key scenes with Paul reveal King as a man more than mogul, and Washington shares a blistering series of moments with A$AP Rocky, who plays up-and-coming rapper Yung Felon with youthful rage. It's a fascinating meeting of new and old school, a very personal rap battle between two guys who see the game differently, that also feels like Lee having his own conversation as an iconoclast in a changing entertainment space. Ice Spice gets her first notable film role and British R&B singer Aiyana-Lee has a bit of a starmaking turn, and Elijah Wright, the son of Oscar-nominated dad Jeffrey, also proves a breakout talent. While 'Highest 2 Lowest' makes for an intensely watchable reunion of a couple of icons, Lee makes sure to do right by the kids, too.
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
With ‘Highest 2 Lowest,' Spike Lee updates a neo-noir classic
The respect Lee has for the legendary Japanese director is evident in the ways he reimagines the classic scenes from 'High and Low.' Additionally, like Lee's movies, Kurosawa's films often interrogated the gulf between the haves and have-nots, treating the latter with grace and understanding. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Lee's tough yet undying love for the Big Apple puts him in the esteemed company of the greatest gritty New York City directors, Advertisement The opening credits are an awesome aerial depiction of Manhattan's east side, with the Brooklyn Bridge prominently featured as a majestic entry point (or a divine exit strategy, depending on your perspective). Lee underscores this sequence with an unexpected choice on the soundtrack, 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin',' the opening song from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, 'Oklahoma.' Advertisement The song's first lyric indicates that we're going to get a more playful Lee than usual — the guy who enjoys ribbing people about everything. This movie is full of in-jokes and clever asides. 'There's a bright golden haze on the meadow,' sings ' But the song reminds us that 'Oklahoma' is also another tale of the haves and have-nots. Even the view itself raises questions. Whose eyes are we looking through? A rich man who sees the city as conquest, or a poor man who sees it as unattainable without criminal means? Denzel Washington in 'Highest 2 Lowest.' David Lee/Apple Lee provides an initial, but not final, answer. Libatique's camera finds record mogul, David King (Washington), standing on his Brooklyn high-rise patio. 'It's a beautiful morning,' he says to no one in particular as he briefly surveys the landscape. King is the head of the Stackin' Hits record label, a man rumored to have the best ears in the business when it comes to choosing talent. He's a more benevolent version of Terrence Howard's Lucious Lyon from the old Fox TV show, 'Empire,' older and wiser than that memorable hothead, but presumably from the same streets. In other words, a former have-not. Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright) is King's chauffeur and unofficial right-hand man. He's the kind of ride or die you earn in the streets, a man whose intimidating stature hides a gentler nature. Christopher is a practicing Muslim, a detail that makes sense if you know the origins of the character. In Kurosawa's film, he is a very penitent man, expressing regret and deference to his boss. 'Highest 2 Lowest' changes the recipient of Christopher's penitence to a much higher power. Advertisement Christopher's kid, Kyle (Elijah Wright — Jeffrey's son) is besties with King's son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph). They're inseparable teenagers, attending a basketball camp run by former Boston Celtic Rick Fox, playing himself. King teases Trey about his love for the residents of TD Garden, snatching the green headband from his son's head and threatening to disown him for dissing the Knicks. It's the first of many amusing swipes the world's most famous New York Knicks fan will take at Boston teams. Screenwriter Alan Fox seamlessly updates the material in ways that will please fans of 'High and Low.' He also keeps the basic plot intact: A wealthy executive (played in the original by That is, until he realizes that his son isn't the one being held for ransom. Through a case of mistaken identity, the kidnapper swiped his chauffeur's son. As in 'High and Low,' King is convinced to pay the ransom by his wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera). That film's somewhat useless cops are also transferred to this plot; here, they're led by LaChanze and Dean Winters. Winters brings as much mayhem to the proceedings as he does in those Allstate ads. Advertisement A$AP Rocky in 'Highest 2 Lowest.' David Lee/Apple The kidnapper, Yung Felon (A$AP Rocky), forces King to deliver the money on a 4 train barreling up to Yankees Stadium. This gives Lee the chance to stage the original's train money drop. Editors Barry Alexander Brown (a Lee regular) and Allyson C. Johnson craft a virtuoso multi-vehicle action sequence that involves motorcycles, rowdy Yankees fans chanting obscenities about Boston, and an enormous group of people at a Puerto Rican Day parade. The hectic, exciting scene includes a performance by the famous salsa bandleader, Eddie Palmieri, whose death last week at 88 adds an extra layer of poignancy to his appearance. 'Highest 2 Lowest' gives Washington another meaty role to sink his teeth into, and Lee allows him free reign to bring all his Denzel-isms. Scenes with Rocky are framed with the two on opposite sides of the screen, a visual reminder of the divide between the two characters. Plus, if you ever wanted to see Denzel in a rap battle, this movie has you covered. Wright is just as good as Washington. He brings a quiet desperation to Paul, made more powerful by the way he anchors it to his faith. I wish he had more scenes, but what's here is commendable. The actors have a rapport that makes you believe in their bond. If there's a weak link, albeit a minor one, it's Rocky. He's fine, but his character is underwritten. This was also the case in 'High and Low,' but it's a bigger issue here because Lee ups the importance of the character's motivations. By rooting them in the world of rap, the film becomes a pointed commentary on the way impoverished Black and brown people see music as one of the few paths to prosperity. I longed for a deeper dive into these ideas. Advertisement Rocky does get a catchy number to perform, which will satisfy his fans. There's also a spectacular, Oscar-worthy theme song sung onscreen by Aiyana-Lee that proves, yet again, that all Spike Lee movies are musicals under the skin. This is one of the year's best films. It's also one of Lee's finest joints. ★★★★ HIGHEST 2 LOWEST Directed by Spike Lee. Written by Alan Fox. Based on Akira Kurosawa's film, 'High and Low' and Ed McBain's novel, 'King's Ransom.' Starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, LaChanze, Dean Winters, Aubrey Joseph, Elijah Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Rick Fox. At Coolidge Corner, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport. 133 min. R (salty language, pervasive love of the New York Yankees — whoo hoo!) Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
