Denzel Washington and Spike Lee have been collaborating since 1990’s Mo’ Better Blues, and the two legends have been genuine staples within the industry. The movie followed Washington’s Bleek Gilliam, a fictional musician struggling to find his way in life. It was their earliest effort together, and the two award-winning stars would go on to feature in many more collaborations.

The duo quickly elected to reunite in Malcolm X (1992), which was a critically renowned masterpiece that saw Washington playing historical activist Malcolm X and Lee as Shorty. Their next collaboration was He Got Game (1998), a sports drama that saw Lee in the driver’s seat as the writer and director.

It would not be until Inside Man in 2006 that the pair would collaborate again, and the heist movie went on to thrill critics and earn an impressive box office. While they do not always work together, as they have created countless productions apart, every Washington and Lee movie proved to be entertaining and relatively successful.

Highest 2 Lowest Continues Washington & Lee’s Rotten Tomatoes Streak

The two actors reunited for Apple TV+’s Highest 2 Lowest, and the thriller is already setting an impressive record on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on the Japanese procedural High and Low (1963), this movie marks the first time that Lee and Washington have worked together in 18 years, which is itself an impressive accomplishment.

Lee serves as the director, while Washington stars as music mogul David King. When King is faced with a ransom, he is forced to face countless threats as he works to bring his life back to normal. The movie was released in theaters and will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on September 5, 2025.

With a 90% Tomatometer score and an 88% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, Highest 2 Lowest is continuing a rare streak on the review aggregator. This new release continues an impressive legacy as every one of Washington and Lee’s many reunion movies has received a fresh designation, despite the long wait for this latest collaboration.

What This Means For Highest 2 Lowest

It should come as no great surprise that a Washington and Lee movie is critically acclaimed. The pair has never disappointed viewers, as they tend to bring an energy to each production that few other pairs can match. Check out the chart below, which showcases the impressive accomplishment in depth:

Their first joint release was their most disappointing, and even that had scores of over 70% in both Rotten Tomatoes categories. Highest 2 Lowest, by contrast, has earned a 90% Tomatometer score and an 88% Popcornmeter score. These results indicate that it is about as impressive as Malcolm X was.

With few other new releases at the box office this week, good word-of-mouth should be a great boon for Highest 2 Lowest. Critics praised the performances, visuals, and the extraordinary sense of humor, and audiences were equally enthused. Like all of their other releases, Washington and Lee should be proud of their latest thriller, and it won’t be surprising if there is strong Oscar potential.