Cannes Review: Highest and Lowest Ratings for a Minor Collaboration Between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington

      Spike Lee's films are celebrated for their expansive portrayal of New York City, particularly Brooklyn and more specifically, Bed-Stuy––rarely venturing into the upscale, cobblestone streets of Dumbo. Aside from a brief documentary created for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in 2016, Lee has not filmed in Dumbo since his 1986 debut, She’s Gotta Have It. Nearly 40 years later, he returns with Highest 2 Lowest, a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, which itself is based on Evan Hunter's novel, King's Ransom.

      The film opens softly with “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” the theme from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, enhanced by quivering violins and strong vocals, as aerial shots drift through Dumbo at sunrise, resembling the spirits of unrecognized artists. When Gordon MacRae powerfully sings the song, the morning awakens, the energy surges, and drones capture visuals of Manhattan’s Financial District, gliding over the East River that separates the neighborhoods before soaring upwards in a breathtaking sweep.

      The camera begins on Water Street and ascends to the penthouse of Olympia Dumbo, a sail-like skyscraper completed in 2024, where David King (Denzel Washington), a titan in the music industry, steps onto his expansive balcony. He is embroiled in discussions about Stackin’ Hits Records, his label, which board members are considering selling to a company focused on AI. The tagline warns: “All $$ Ain’t Good $$.”

      To maintain his artistic integrity and preserve his creation, King, dubbed “the best ears in the business,” formulates a strategy to acquire controlling interest in Stackin’. He aims to restore it (and himself) to the successful discovery hub it was in the 2000s. However, skepticism surrounds King’s motivations. While he presents a noble front in meetings about buyouts, we see him privately. His son Trey (Aubrey Joseph), a basketball player at LIU––and potential future executive at Stackin’ if he plays his cards right––cannot get his father to pause for two minutes to hear an unknown artist he believes could be a major star, nor can he make it to the practice he promised to attend. Is King genuinely committed to the music, or is it the allure of wealth and prestige that drives him?

      This question is clarified quickly when Trey is kidnapped and held for ransom at $17.5 million by a vengeful undiscovered rapper targeting the mogul. King reluctantly agrees to pay it but learns from the FBI that they mistakenly abducted the wrong child, placing him in a position to pay the ransom for his best friend's son. King deliberates over the decision, making a fool of himself as he tries to assert dominance over both his offspring and his best friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright), who is distraught over the potential loss of his own child. At his core, King is a deeply selfish individual, so consumed by self-respect that he has forgotten how to respect others.

      Lee seems to believe he’s presenting King’s ethical dilemma as a genuine conflict––save the boy and lose his music career, or sacrifice the boy for a chance to revive his successful run. However, this notion feels misplaced. It’s a clear-cut scenario: a close friend's child is in danger. He calls out to his musical icons (James, Jimi, Stevie, and Aretha) for guidance, as if they would advise anything other than: “Shut up. Pay the ransom.” The film reinforces King’s desire to reclaim his label as if that holds any significance in this dire situation.

      The delivery of Highest 2 Lowest is further complicated by Howard Drossin's score, which features an confusingly poor assortment of overly sentimental or simply silly cues that lack direction. Many tracks feel like parodies aiming for Oscar recognition, with an out-of-place Irish folk tune providing a backdrop to intense scenes that detract from the overall experience. Conversely, the soundtrack excels, featuring everything from Oklahoma! to new A$AP Rocky (or “Yung Felon”) to live Puerto Rican performances with Rosie Perez—showcasing Lee’s impeccable taste and timing in music selection.

      This marks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington––and their first since 2006’s Inside Man––and it has a lofty benchmark to meet. The duo is responsible for Malcolm X, one of cinema’s monumental achievements, while their other three projects would rank highly for most directors. Though Highest 2 Lowest may fall on the lower end of their partnership, moments of brilliance from their past collaborations resurface multiple times.

      One standout scene, too spoiler-heavy to reveal fully here, draws inspiration from Paris, Texas, showcasing an extraordinary conversation between two characters separated by thick glass. Without revealing more, this scene is so powerful it makes Highest 2 Lowest worth watching in its entirety, potentially ranking among the best