CANNES – When we last saw Denzel Washington on screen, he appeared to be one of the few actors who realized just how camp Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” was going to be. As a scheming hustler during the height of the Roman Empire, he stole every scene he was in. From an outsider’s perspective, Washington projected the confidence of an actor having an utter blast with the role handed to him. It had been quite a while since we’d seen this version of Denzel on screen. In that context, it’s hard to imagine Washington having even more fun than he does in his follow-up film, Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” a world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Then again, throwing Washington into a Spike Lee joint is like handing Michael Jordan the ball with a championship trophy on the line. They do not miss.
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A narratively faithful adaptation of Akira Kurosawa‘s 1963 masterpiece “High and Low,” itself an adaptation of Evan Hunter’s 1959 novel “King’s Ransom,” screenwriter Alan Fox has reframed the scenario around musical mogul David King (Washington). A legendary producer known for having the “best ears in the business, but the coldest heart,” David lives in a stunning penthouse apartment with a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge. His wife, Pam King (Ilfenesh Hadera), spends her time navigating the family’s charitable efforts while his teenage son, Trey King (Aubrey Joseph), who he dotes over, is following in his father’s footsteps on the hunt for new talent. Unbeknownst to them, David is at a crossroads in his life. He’s spent so much time on the corporate side of his company that he’s let his love for the music part of the business wane. And he has a plan to get it back.
Acting as a sounding board far above his pay grade is Paul (Jeffrey Wright), a former convict who has revitalized his life working as David’s chauffeur and de facto personal assistant. His son, Kyle (played by Wright’s son Elijah Wright), is best friends with Trey. In this relationship, the lines of family and business are intertwined, and it seems as though David wouldn’t have it any other way. That will come back to bite him.
On the same day that David attempts to sidestep a pre-negotiated deal to sell his company, he gets a horrifying phone call. Trey has been kidnapped, and a very angry hostage taker wants $17 million to release him. That’s a good chunk of the money King was going to use to regain control of his legacy.
As David and Pam try not to panic, the arrival of a trio of New York City police detectives (John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, LaChanze) is less reassuring than you might expect. And their immediate suspicions toward Paul are almost too predictable. When it’s discovered that the hostage takers snagged the wrong kid after misidentifying Kyle as the mogul’s son, the movie dives into a moral quagmire that’s as compelling today as it was in Kurosawa’s vision over 60 years ago.
It’s easy to see how this Shakespearian drama would appeal to both Lee and Washington, in particular, but there are as the scenario initially unfolds, you wonder if Lee has misplayed his hand. The filmmaker’s indulgences often add depth and nuance to his works, but sometimes they can feel too tangential and distract from the proceedings (yes, Spike, we get it, you hate Boston, congrats on the Knicks). And while beautifully composed by Howard Drossin, the beginning of the movie feels completely over-scored. Distractingly so. You simply want the film to breathe a little. But then the kidnapping happens, and the movie begins to spark, and Lee, like Washington, starts to have a helluva lotta fun.
Lee’s cinephile passions come together in an extended sequence as David follows the kidnapper’s instructions to drop off the ransom. Simultaneously set on both the New York Subway system and the streets of the Bronx, the eventual chase interrupts a Puerto Rican Day parade where the Eddie Palmeri Salsa Orchestra is performing (introduced by Anthony Ramos and Rosie Perez, because why not). Their live renditions of “Puerto Rico” and “Get Low” become the soundtrack to a “French Connection” inspired chase, and this entire portion of the film becomes an extravagant, entertaining ride. But where Lee is often at his best is with his actors, and for the fourth time, he brings out the best in his leading man.
Washington portrays David with a charisma and internal fire that only a handful of actors can match. When David confronts Yung Felony (ASAP Rocky), a rapper who has crossed the line, their sparring dialogue cascades into what can only be described as a magnificent symphony. It’s hard not to sit in your seat and smile as Washington volleys back and forth with Rocky in this moment. You haven’t seen this sort of fire from him since he played a detective cornered by his demons in “Training Day.” You know, the scene that gets shown in every retrospective of Washington’s career? Granted, editors Barry Alexander Brown and Allyson C. Johnson, and Rocky deserve significant credit, but the scene is so good you simply don’t want it to end. It’s almost euphoric. How is that even possible?
The film could treat the music aspect of the story as a secondary element, but Lee and Fox ensure it’s an integral aspect of David’s narrative arc. Lee could also be forgiven if the movie’s take on the modern music industry was decidedly superficial, with a few TikTok and streaming number references here and there. It’s decidedly not. Instead, David’s predicament feels straight out of the frustrations from music label boardrooms on the West Coast. 
Now, not to backtrack from what might seem like a rave review, we’ll remind you that “Highest 2 Lowest” has quite a rough start, and Lee’s excesses are not for everyone. It’s no shame that this thriller isn’t even in the top pantheon of Lee joints, as he refers to them. The man has some masterpieces on his resume. It might be in Washington’s, however. He’s so viscerally engaging that you want to see the movie again just to enjoy his performance. Is that a result of the collective experience of having the gang back together again? Or is Washington just on a roll? Either way, let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years to find out. [B+]
“Highest 2 Lowest” opens in theaters on August 22. It then debuts on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5
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