Big Picture Big Sound

Spike Lee is one of the most consistently inconsistent directors working today. His films run the gamut from big swings and misses to thoughtful and provocative movies about how people live in today's world. He's made a career out of interesting failures ("Da Sweet Blood of Jesus"), bona fide masterpieces ("Do the Right Thing"), and a lot of great movies in between (his remake of "Oldboy" shall be removed from the memory of the few who saw it).

For the past few years, Lee has been operating in a mode that suits him best and it has shown in his work. From "BlacKkKlansman" - which finally won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay - to "Da 5 Bloods," Lee is strongest when he holds his unsubtle mirror to the audience.

Lee's latest, "Highest 2 Lowest" is a mix of what makes Lee's films so good. It's a dizzying, sometimes chaotic mess of a movie that is thrilling and propulsive in a way only Lee could do. The movie, which is a loose adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 "High and Low," reteams Lee with star Denzel Washington, after last working together on 2006's very entertaining "Inside Man."

Washington stars as David King, who is the head of a famous record label and known for having the best ears in the business. He lives in a picturesque Manhattan penthouse with his wife Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) and their teenage son Trey (Aubrey Joseph). David has been hustling his entire life to build his company into what it has become, but like any other aspect of 2025 culture, the music business is ever-changing. David's luxurious life hangs in the balance when he is trying to navigate a possible sale of his company.

While discussing business with his wife on their balcony overlooking the city (and employing some very obvious green screen), David receives a call that Trey has been kidnapped. The possible kidnapper on the other end of the phone demands $17.5 million at a time when David has to be very cautious with every penny he still has to his name.

Like any ransom-plotted movie will tell you, things don't go as planned in "Highest 2 Lowest." The movie isn't packed with surprises and Lee isn't as interested in shocking his audience as he is placing them inside this version of Manhattan (like many of his movies, "Highest 2 Lowest" is very much a New York City film).

"Highest 2 Lowest" works as a piece of adaptation because it isn't a shot-for-shot remake of "High and Low." The Kurosawa film focused on an executive as a shoe company and Lee switched to the music industry (with appearances by Ice Spice and A$AP Rocky). Every inch of the movie is a Spike Lee joint. This gives the film its present-day relevance because David might hold onto his reputation, but the business isn't what it used to be. Instead of chasing records, David has to learn that people chase fame in a different way, which is the central thesis of "Highest 2 Lowest." Likes and follows are sometimes a bigger form of currency that money itself.

There's no dispute that Washington is one of the greatest working actors, but he's an actor who continues to surprise as he gets older. It's easy for someone like Washington to coast on being the major star he is and riding on a perceived persona, but "Highest 2 Lowest" gives the actor a chance to show vulnerability when his character has made a career out of confidence. Washington's movie star magnetism holds the screen for the 135-minute runtime

"Highest 2 Lowest" can be a messy film, but Lee is often a messy director. His cuts and transition style would never work from a new filmmaker today, but he has built a reputation where he puts his vision on screen, often uncompromised. Nobody misses like Lee - but nobody hits like him either.