In adapting Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, Spike Lee somehow crafts his most fun film in years even though, at its center, the film is about a greedy, ego-driven music executive who gets wrapped up in a violent kidnapping plot. Kurosawa’s High and Low elegantly captures Japan’s post-war anxieties, but with Highest 2 Lowest

, Lee uses the modern music industry to critique America’s capitalist grindset and toxic celebrity culture.

Denzel Washington stars as David King, a co-owner of Stackin’ Hits Records, which had its heyday in the early 2000s but whose impact has waned in the era of attention economy and TikTok soundbites. On the eve of a major business deal, David’s son Trey is seemingly kidnapped and ransomed for $17.5 million, the exact amount of money the mogul was going to use to buy out a partner and ᴀssume control of the company. Naturally, things don’t go according to plan and Lee gleefully crafts an odyssey through New York that is an ode to the city and a damn good crime film.

Spike Lee Updates Highest 2 Lowest With Modern Flourishes

Though there are baseline similarities between Kurosawa and Lee’s films, both of which are also loosely based on the novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain, Lee departs drastically from the source material with this film. Vacillating wildly between comedy, melodrama, and crime thriller, Highest 2 Lowest is all over the place in the best way. However, some questionable choices undermine the film’s more effective moments.

From his penthouse above Brooklyn, David King lords over the city he has long called home. He keeps a lot of his business in the family — his son often sends him artists to keep an eye out for and his personal chauffeur Paul (Jeffrey Wright) is also a longtime friend, with his son Kyle close friends with Trey. It’s these relationships that ultimately undermine David during one of the biggest moves of his life, as the kidnapper who had his sights set on Trey accidentally kidnaps Kyle instead.

David is then forced to decide whether to pay the ransom for Paul’s son or go through with his business deal. There are optics to consider; what will it look like if David sacrifices his best friend’s son to go through with a Machiavellian business deal? Lee has a knack for updating this story for modern times, his finger on the pulse when it comes to how the entertainment industry has changed the way we treat each other — friends, family, and strangers alike.

Highest 2 Lowest Is Fun But Not As Challenging As Its Source Material

However, some of the film’s messiness dampens it. Howard Drossin’s score often feels as if it’s fighting with the dialogue or tone of the film. Lee also deploys many of his signature stylistic flourishes in the film, but not consistently enough for them to feel wholly part of the film so much as tacked on as an afterthought.

Still, there’s plenty to love in Highest 2 Lowest. If you ever wanted to see ASAP Rocky and Denzel Washington in a rap battle, here’s your chance. Washington is, as always, on fire, and his performance easily moves between morally dubious tycoon, loving family man, and vengeful anger.

I’m curious to see how those who have not seen Kurosawa’s film feel about Highest 2 Lowest. While Lee’s film is able to stand on its own two feet, the context and contrast of Kurosawa’s film enriches the experience of watching this one. They are two very different beasts and with Lee going for a lighter tone, he achieves something different here, which makes Highest 2 Lowest easier to love in a way. It’s less challenging and possibly less rewarding but it’s no less fun.

Highest 2 Lowest premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.