Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have forged a decades-long working relationship, and it has led to some great films. After spending nearly twenty years without working together, the pair are back with Highest 2 Lowest. The movie is a modernized interpretation of the 1963 film High and Low from the great Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Lee’s version centers around a New York City music producer whose life is upended when he is involved in a ransom plot. In addition to Washington, the film’s leading cast includes Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Aubrey Joseph.

Lee has suggested that Highest 2 Lowest will be the pair’s last project together, making the movie’s release even more anticipated. While the film becomes available in theaters on August 22 (and then on Apple TV+ from September 5, just a couple weeks later), some critics have already seen the movie, as it recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. This has created additional hype for the movie, with reviews praising Washington’s lead performance. An initial Rotten Tomatoes score for Highest 2 Lowest has been revealed, and it could foreshadow a good awards season.

Highest 2 Lowest Is Now The Second Highest-Rated Project From Denzel Washington & Spike Lee

And It’s Just 1% Off Their Best Score Ever

Highest 2 Lowest is now Washington and Lee’s second highest-rated project together in terms of Rotten Tomatoes score. Highest 2 Lowest‘s strong reviews gave it an 88% Tomatometer, with 32 reviews in thus far. This score is subject to change as it is still awaiting more data from those who see it when it is released more widely. One of the film’s champions was ScreenRant‘s Graeme Guttmann, who gave the movie 7 out of 10 and wrote that “Washington is, as always, on fire, and his performance easily moves between morally dubious tycoon, loving family man, and vengeful anger.”

With this Tomatometer, Highest 2 Lowest nearly set the record for highest-rated movie in Washington and Lee’s oeuvre, but it has just barely fallen short. At the time of writing, Malcolm X, the pair’s second-ever collaboration, still takes the cake. Malcolm X is currently the highest-rated of their films in terms of both Tomatometer and Popcornmeter, boasting 89% and 91% scores, respectively. This puts Highest 2 Lowest in a fascinating position within the Washington and Lee shared filmography, and could have some implications on the Oscar season.

Malcolm X Should’ve Won Denzel Washington Best Actor

Spike Lee Still Thinks The Oscars Got It Wrong

Despite Malcolm X‘s positive reviews, the film did not do nearly as well as one might have hoped at the time of its release. In addition to delivering an underwhelming box office haul, it was only nominated for two Oscars, for Best Costume Design and Best Actor. The film won neither, with Washington losing out to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.

Washington’s Best Actor loss that year was hugely controversial, and one of the biggest Academy Award misses of Washington’s career. Lee has expressed his outrage over this decision on multiple occasions. In a 2024 interview, Lee described this loss as “egregious,” thinking the Academy wanted to pay their dues to Pacino but neglected a great performance. Lee even brought this up again at a Cannes press conference this year, while speaking about Highest 2 Lowest. The full quote from Lee, per Variety, can be found below:

Malcolm X, what he did with that film was amazing. And no disrespect to my brother Al Pacino, I love him. But Denzel, in my opinion, should have won.

With these awards, it’s like basketball, where the ref blows a call and you have to make a call. So the make a call I think was Training Day, which he won an Oscar for. But we don’t do our work for awards, which are nice, but it’s the work that is going to stand above all awards.

Could Highest 2 Lowest Put Denzel Back In The Oscars Conversation?

A Win Would Be His First Since 2002

The Malcolm X snub is not to say that Washington has been left out of Oscar recognition entirely. As Lee references, the actor went on to win for his performance in Training Day a couple of years later, partially making up for his loss to Pacino. Since then, he has also been nominated for several more Oscars, including most recently for his role in The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Highest 2 Lowest‘s positive reception has been heavily centered around Washington’s powerful lead performance. As such, it seems that he could be brought back into the Oscars conversation as a serious contender. Of course, there are already some high-profile performances lined up this year that could serve as compeтιтion, such as Daniel Day-Lewis’ return to the big screen with Anemone and Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another. That said, Washington is beloved in Hollywood and his status and early momentum could push him towards a win for Highest 2 Lowest.

If he were to win, this would be a good way to remedy the previous Oscars injustice against a Lee and Washington project. A Best Actor win would be especially well-timed after last year, when Washington was snubbed for Best Supporting Actor for Gladiator II despite being nominated for a Golden Globe. A win for Highest 2 Lowest would also mark Washington’s first Oscar since 2002. Still months out from nominations and winners being chosen, nothing can be said for sure yet, but Highest 2 Lowest‘s RT score sets Washington on a good awards path.