Spike Lee’s Lens and Denzel Washington’s Powerful Performance
When an influential music mogul is targeted for ransom, he must do everything in his power to save his family, career, and legacy.
What Inspired ‘Highest 2 Lowest’?
Highest 2 Lowest, a Kurosawa-inspired crime thriller, reconnects Spike Lee and Denzel Washington for the first time since 2006, when they filmed Inside Man. Lee made it clear to Deadline that “the narrative is a refined reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 High and Low,” which follows the story of the novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain. Lee’s version, set in New York City, brings a fresh energy and storyline that captures the contemporary music industry.
A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice
According to Deadline, Highest 2 Lowest was first shown at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, but not as a part of the competition. Director Lee has had his movie shown at Cannes six times. It also happened exactly 36 years after his first Cannes movie, Do the Right Thing, was shown there. While Alan Fox wrote the movie, it was developed by Apple and A24. Todd Black produced the film for Escape Artist, along with Jason Michael Berman from Mandalay Pictures. Executive producers include Lee, Peter Guber, Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham, and Katia Washington. Jordan Moldo from Mandalay also worked as a co-producer.
The thriller stars A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, Dean Winters, John Douglas, and Ice Spice. According to Indulge Express, Rocky plays the role of a character who’s an aspiring rapper, willing to gain relevance in the sight of a powerful music mogul by all means.
Spike Lee and His Favourite Collaborator
Lee described his relationship with Washington to The Hollywood Reporter, “We are brothers, the dynamic Duo of D and Lee.” According to Deadline, the 3 time Oscar winner talked about Rocky on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, saying, “Yeah, don’t sleep on A$AP. In this film, Denzel and A$AP go toe-to-toe. What’s interesting is, even before I got involved with this film, I always thought that A$AP looked like he could be Denzel’s son. There’s a big resemblance. So when you see it on the screen, it adds an element of father and son.” Lee goes on to say, “I’ve done five films with Denzel, and a lot of times when he’s in a scene with somebody, they just get overwhelmed. He’s one of the greatest living actors today, but A$AP wasn’t having that. Toe-to-toe, I mean, they were going at it.”
Highest 2 Lowest will premiere on August 15 before arriving on Apple TV on September 5.
Highest 2 Lowest (2025) Official Apple TV Trailer
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Precious Osagie
Kendra Dennis is a Pennsylvania-based creative and content writer. While her passion lies within the creative realm, Kendra enjoys any time she gets to write. Kendra graduated from American Public University System in June of 2025 with a BA in English. She enjoys writing stories that open up to a larger world where readers can get lost. You can find her daydreaming about her newest stories or reorganizing one of her many bookshelves.