This weekend, Spike Lee returns with a new joint, his first with Denzel Washington in twenty years, but don’t expect it easy to find a showtime.
“Highest 2 Lowest” opened in just 200 theaters. Apple Original Films produced the project, then tapped A24 to handle distribution. It’s scheduled for a two-week theatrical run before hitting Apple TV+ on September 5. In other words, Apple is burying a decently reviewed Spike Lee film, and yes, Denzel is in it.
Just as an example, the film is currently screening in a handful of New York theaters that are notoriously difficult to track down, and limited to just a few venues in Brooklyn—the very borough where it was filmed and set.
This isn’t some niche arthouse film either. If anything, it’s one of Lee’s most accessible works—a modern reinterpretation of Kurosawa’s “High and Low.” Perhaps the low-key rollout is because the film hasn’t generated much buzz since its Cannes premiere last May. Having finally seen it, I can see why: it’s not Lee’s finest hour, and belongs middle of the pack in his filmography.
The first half leans heavily on dialogue, dissecting a morally complex dilemma that’s thought-provoking but also murder on momentum. Curiously, Kurosawa’s original suffered the same pacing lull.
The film truly ignites with the arrival of A$AP Rocky as Yung Felon, a rising rapper who kidnaps the son of a close friend and demands $17.5 million from Denzel’s David King—threatening the boy’s life if his demands aren’t met.
At its best, “Highest 2 Lowest” is an electrifying, high-stakes thriller. Lee flexes his mastery in a tense ransom sequence that collides a Puerto Rican Day Parade with a crowd of Yankee fans, all while King races against the clock through the subway. It’s a set piece, brought to life by Matthew Libatique’s stunning cinematography, that is practically matched by a finale that delivers the thrills
Despite its flaws, and Lee’s knack for over indulgence does show up in an unnecessary coda, “Highest 2 Lowest” is the kind of film that deserves to be seen on the big screen, just for that 20-minute subway sequence alone, if you can even find it.