Longtime collaborators Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have returned to the big screen for their fifth collaboration with their most ambitious film yet, Highest 2 Lowest, a reinterpretation of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa classic High and Low which was based on the 1959 novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain. Remaking legendary films is a tall task but if any duo can pull it off, you’d figure this one could.
In this contemporary version, we follow music mogul David King (Washington), who is widely known as having the “best ears in the business.” King is juggling heading his family consisting of wife Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) and son Trey (Aubrey Joseph). King is assisted on his daily duties by longtime friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright), a former felon turned driver and right hand man. As King seeks to raise capital to buy majority control of his label Stackin Hits Records ahead of a possible purchase by an investment firm, he is targeted with a ransom plot after Trey is kidnapped from basketball practice alongside Paul’s son Kyle (Elijah Wright). As the race to save the boys, King is faced with a life-or-death moral dilemma.
Remaking a landmark or iconic film will inevitably lead to comparisons being made and considering the last remake that Lee embarked upon, that goes doubly so for this film. Thematically, the core theme of the story remains as wealth inequality and stratification are explored here just as they were in the 1963 version. While it’s still present in the relationship between the kidnapper and their target, Lee adds an interesting wrinkle with also displaying the issue in the interaction between the NYPD investigating the kidnapping and King’s assistant, good friend, and ex-felon Paul. The disparity in the way ultra rich and ultra famous King is treated and spoken to by the investigators and how they respond to and interact with Paul is glaring. They are immediately suspicious of his potential involvement in the crime and even after he is cleared and now in the role of victim, they still exhibit less patience and greater hostility when handling him and his son. The lack of respect due to Paul’s station in life and background is clear and emphasizes the disparate treatment that the poor and less pristine populous receive in comparison to their more well off counterparts, particularly from the society’s institutions like the police. It’s a welcome addition in delving into the theme and modernizing it not just for today’s society, but for the different background of Highest 2 Lowest’s Black American characters compared to the 1960s film’s Japanese counterparts.
An added thematic wrinkle that makes the film interesting however, is its exploration of obsession; not just in general, but also in regard to our society’s obsession with celebrity. King becomes the target of his tormentors because they have become obsessed with him; obsessed with his power to create stars in the music business and obsessed with their own pursuit of notoriety and fame. The lust to be known and obtain glitz and glamour leads to the ends justifying the means and a loss of morality and compassion, a statement on our current culture that buoys the contemporary take of Highest 2 Lowest. King’s own arc serves to examine our world’s growing greed and selfishness as he contemplates what he’s willing to sacrifice to meet the kidnapper’s demands and ultimately must determine what he values most in life following the ordeal, his family or his professional legacy. While all of these themes are explored, it’s done so subtly and within the context of the story, which may be too light for some who like very in-depth messaging in their film or just the right balance for those who value tension and good story that also has a point.
It must also be mentioned that Lee imbues Highest 2 Lowest with his typical love for New York City and the accompanying flair with which he shoots the city. The film’s opening credits play over a sprawling aerial view of the city and most impressively, Lee utilizes the city’s Puerto Rican Day parade, legendary New York Yankees, and iconic subway system to execute his version of High and Low’s landmark ransom drop-off scene in a way that centers the uniqueness of his city. Recreating such a famous scene is one more hurdle this film had to overcome and the way Lee weaves in NYC iconography to both pay homage to what came before and update the film with his own style is indicative of what he’s able to do with Highest 2 Lowest overall.
Ultimately, what will most likely determine audience reaction to the film is the familiarity with the source material. Highest 2 Lowest was never going to surpass Kurosawa’s classic so for those who loved it, it just had to not mess it up, what this film accomplishes. For those who have not seen it, they’ll be treated to a film that offers quality tension and mystery with good performances and some topical themes that are handled well. One slight negative is the sometimes distracting score whose lavish string compositions seem a bit too bright and high pitched to match what’s happening onscreen. Denzel Washington performs as well as you’d expect him to while Jeffrey Wright shines brightest alongside him, stealing scenes as was also to be expected. A$AP Rocky holds his own alongside the acting titans, offering more positives than negatives even if he slips at times. In the scenes where he must keep up with Denzel, he’s able to keep pace and ensure that those moments carry the weight that they’re supposed to and that the movie depends on. Highest 2 Lowest doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it adds a decent take to a timeless story that entertains and provokes some thought.
Image: A24
