Highest 2 Lowest calls to mind a very specific type of film, and whetting the appeтιтe with similar features will be the perfect way to get into the headspace needed for Denzel Washington’s next big role. The upcoming Spike Lee joint will feature Washington as the partner of a music label whose lucrative attempt to take control of the business is interrupted by the kidnapping of his son’s friend.

Primarily a drama and thriller, Highest 2 Lowest will ᴀssuredly feature the same sprinklings of comedy that even the most serious of Spike Lee’s movies tend to indulge in. Similar films will include daring kidnapping plots, eccentric casts of characters, and an adrenaline-fueled race against the clock to rescue a missing person.

10

High And Low

The most obvious movie to watch in preparation for Highest 2 Lowest is the film’s spiritual predecessor, Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. Highest 2 Lowest is a modern-day Western re-imagining of High and Low, which was in turn based on the 1959 Ed McBain novel King’s Ransom. The two films have very similar plots, with the change in scenery being the biggest departure.

Like many directors inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s work, Lee will ᴀssuredly pay homage to the master of Japanese cinema with his latest picture. Having a solid foundation to compare Highest 2 Lowest to before it comes out will certainly make the viewing experience a richer one.

9

Man On Fire

Highest 2 Lowest won’t be Washington’s first time starring as the only hope of a kidnapped child. Man on Fire posits him as the bodyguard of a wealthy family’s 9-year-old (Dakota Fanning), who is thrust into violence when his ward is kidnapped by a violent gunman, forcing him to endure a gauntlet of corrupt cops and criminals alike.

Though Man on Fire is far more action-focused than Highest 2 Lowest is likely to be, the two have some clear parallels by way of Washington’s starring role in each. It’ll be fascinating to see how the two compare to one another, with director Tony Scott’s blockbuster sensibilities not too dissimilar from Lee’s signature style.

8

The Big Lebowski

Though it’s known as an irreverent stoner comedy first and a character-driven Coen Brothers movie second, The Big Lebowski is indeed a kidnapping movie at its core. While it may be The Dude’s coveted rug that begins the narrative as the victim of the crime, it isn’t long before the presentation of severed toes puts human lives at stake.

As a dark comedy, The Big Lebowski echoes some of the same devil-may-care atтιтude towards serious subjects that Lee is often known to play with, and Highest 2 Lowest is sure to be no exception. The meandering nature of The Big Lebowski‘s plot also calls to mind the similar ambitions of Lee’s latest script, which promises a colorful odyssey throughout New York City.

7

Oldboy

Strangely enough, Lee has already adapted an English-language version of a popular Eastern film revolving around kidnapping. Based on the 2003 classic of the same name, Oldboy stars Josh Brolin as a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned within a H๏τel room for years, only to break free and seek revenge on his captors.

At the time of its release, the movie was largely critically panned, though it offered the same level of ghoulish gore the original was known for. It’ll be interesting to see whether Lee’s next adaptation can learn from the failings of Oldboy or if it will suffer the same pitfalls. Perhaps the grimness of the first Oldboy simply didn’t suit Lee’s style well enough.

6

Taken

Perhaps the most iconic movie in the kidnapper revenge thriller niche, Liam Neeson’s star vehicle was initially potent enough to spawn an entire Taken trilogy. The film centers on a group of criminals who kidnap the daughter of the wrong man; Neeson’s highly-decorated former Green Beret, Bryan Mills, uses his specific set of skills to violently rescue her.

From the moment Neeson’s iconic “I will find you… and I will kill you” phone monologue dropped, Taken cemented itself as a pop culture staple, even if it isn’t the most technically praised film by professional reviewers. Taken remains the perfect opening act to any tense kidnapping movie, even if it’s tonally distinct from something like Highest 2 Lowest.

5

Run Lola Run

It isn’t just the kidnapping elements that give Highest 2 Lowest a unique texture. The film will allegedly see Washington’s character hurdle his way across New York City in a haphazard race against the clock. In this respect, no movie seems like a better companion piece than Run Lola Run.

The German prestige cinema darling centers on a young woman named Lola whose boyfriend owes money to some bad people. Lola sprints across her city desperately searching for a solution with precious little time, splitting the action across multiple alternate possibilities. The eye-popping colors, unique visual idenтιтy, and driving techno soundtrack certainly boast Lee levels of style.

4

The Silence Of The Lambs

It can be argued whether The Silence of the Lambs is one of the greatest movies ever made, let alone one of the greatest horror movies ever made. But what’s easy to forget is that it is as much of a tense thriller centering on a kidnapping case that has alarmingly little time to be solved, making it a great warm-up for Highest 2 Lowest.

Jodie Foster plays a rising star F.B.I. agent who is tasked with rescuing a senator’s daughter from the clutches of a crazed serial killer, picking the brain of another incarcerated killer, Anthony Hopkins’ iconic Hannibal Lecter, for help. The Silence of the Lambs‘ strength as a missing persons thriller could be emphasized by a pairing with Highest 2 Lowest.

3

Missing

The format of found-footage films taking place entirely on recorded screens can seem like a tacky novelty in the wake of releases like Prime Video’s War of the Worlds. However, Missing proves that the style can work, enhancing the tension by filtering what the audience sees through a series of messages, video calls, and security camera footage.

A spiritual successor to 2020’s Searching, Missing centers on a young woman’s search for her mother after she goes missing with her new partner on a trip to Colombia. The slowly unraveling web of intrigue and surprisingly strong performances are sure to set up similar elements in Highest 2 Lowest‘s own tale of a sprawling kidnapping plot.

2

Ransom!

High and Low itself is an older film, but it certainly had its fair share of role models to emulate, even as far back as 1963. Enter 1956’s Ransom!, a crime drama film that any subsequent kidnapping movie unmistakably owes fealty to. The narrative centers on a wealthy couple whose son is kidnapped, with an exorbitant ransom demanded in exchange for his safe return.

As one of the first movies to truly strike gold with the idea, Ransom! didn’t need to do much to distinguish itself beyond the тιтular concept. The drama explores just how easily such a tense situation can tear a family apart, a specific kind of tension that Highest 2 Lowest is sure to toy with, as well.

1

Prisoners

One of the crowning jewels of Denis Villeneuve’s esteemed filmography, Prisoners serves as the modern-day template for a fantastic kidnapping movie. When two young girls are kidnapped in suburban Pennsylvania, one of their fathers (Hugh Jackman) goes on his own revenge-fueled rampage in search of answers, monitored by Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki.

This leading duo presents one of the strongest dicH๏τomies in Villeneuve’s already powerful body of work, evoking fiery performances that tear through the grim circumstances surrounding them. The tone might differ from Highest 2 Lowest a great deal, but Prisoners is the perfect moral warm-up for any heady kidnapping story sure to end in shock.