Highest 2 Lowest Movie Review: An immersive cultural and musical exploration of a man's limits

Highest 2 Lowest Movie Review:

David King (Denzel Washington), after being pushed to the limits, turns to his music idols, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin, to decide if he should pay the ransom to rescue his godson, who is wrongly kidnapped. David wants to preserve his legacy, protect his family, and safeguard his future, all of which are in jeopardy as a result of the kidnapping. Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest portrays an episode of a music mogul's life, which puts everything he cares about at stake, in the form of a safe and culturally immersive drama, starring an ever-charismatic Denzel Washington.

Film: Highest 2 Lowest

Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, John Douglas Thompson, ASAP Rocky

Washington brings his trademark swagger to portray David King, a music label owner, who is on the cusp of making a deal that will secure his future. Known as someone with "the best ears in business,” David has dedicated his life to supporting talented artists. However, when his close friend and right-hand, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright), asks David to provide $17.5 million, the same amount of money that will help David to gain decisive control of his own record, David ponders if he has given too much. David is hesitant to pay the ransom and even fights with Paul about the same. In these key moments, Washington assumes the form of a man with a lot of weight on his shoulders, with a focused performance that makes you forget the actor.

Jeffrey Wright as Paul matches up to Washington's stellar performance. Wright traverses vulnerability, helplessness, and strong loyalty with finesse for a character who has gone through extreme situations in life. ASAP Rocky, who plays Yung Felon, makes a mark with his acting debut in Highest 2 Lowest. He plays a tortured, directionless, and talented rapper, whose lack of conviction leads to his downfall. Rocky doesn't venture far from his own self for portraying the rapper, but imbibes a lot of his mannerisms for the character. Highest 2 Lowest also gives space for a lot of its supporting characters to tell a holistic story. There are several peripheral characters, from the police to David's business partners to his family members. And the story is structured in a way that all of these characters suffocate and push David into a corner.

An extensive scene where David has to take the subway is where Spike Lee finds a way to build his New York. The train is filled with baseball fans travelling to a game, all while shouting chants against their opponents. The route is also filled with the Puerto Rican Day Parade, graced by Rosie Perez, a Lee regular, Anthony Ramos (star of Hamilton and In The Heights), and Eddie Palmieri and his band. Lee blends all of this seamlessly while building up a chase. Lee's love for New York bleeds through the scene and helps us experience the thrill, all while feeling present within the scene itself. Lee also uses his signature double-dolly shots to transport the viewer into the mind of the character seamlessly. While the comparisons to Akira Kurosawa's original film still hang over the remake, Lee still manages to tell an original, engaging story.