Spike Lee’s career has been full of highs (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman). Lee has also seen his fair share of lows, the bottom of the barrel being his remake of Oldboy. He returns to Asian cinema with Highest 2 Lowest, drawing from Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. Both films were based on Evan Hunter’s novel, King’s Ransom. While certainly a step up from Oldboy, Highest 2 Lowest isn’t in the same league as the Kurosawa classic. Of course, it’s not aspiring to me. Lee knows that High and Low is a masterpiece. Rather than try to top it, Lee settles for making a solid B-movie. He succeeds with what’s arguably his first pure popcorn flick since Inside Man in 2006.
Coincidentally, Inside Man was also the last time that Lee worked with Denzel Washington. Even when given a B-level script, Washington is on his A game as David King. He’s a record producer who has discovered one star after another. Nevertheless, some are starting to view King as a relic of an aging system. King seeks to reclaim his crown, offering to buy the company he helped build. The money gets tied up when King’s teenage son is kidnapped. At least that’s what King is initially led to believe. The kidnapper accidentally snatched the son of King’s friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright). King is still on the hook for the ransom, or else blood will be on his hands.
While the basic setup mirrors Kurosawa’s film, Lee leaves his distinct signature. Highest 2 Lowest revels in its New York backdrop, Michael Jordan merch, and Spike Lee-isms like characters talking directly into the camera. This includes a Yankees fan who stops the movie just to declare that “Boston sucks.” Rosie Perez even makes an appearance. Sadly, the right nipple and left nipple don’t. There are times when Lee’s style can get a little self-indulgent. On more than one occasion, Lee replays the same shot twice for no apparent reason. Even so, Lee makes this joint his own.
Highest 2 Lowest is skillfully acted, intensely shot, and surprisingly funny, with dialogue that feels improvised half of the time. Ironically, the film’s biggest issue is in the music department. Not the songs, as the film does include a few earworms. Aiyana-Lee Anderson’s title track, in particular, ends things on a high note. The problem lies in Howard Drossin’s score, which is intrusive to, put it mildly. Drossin’s score plays over several scenes that would’ve been more effective without music, an argument between King and his son being one example. It doesn’t help that the score rarely matches the tone. King constantly mentions that he has an ear for talent. Lee usually does too in the music department, but he should’ve reeled his composer in.
The film also has its narrative hiccups, with the final act requiring the cops to be idiots so King can save the day. Then again, this is a Denzel Washington movie. We want to see him take charge in the climax, not the Vulture from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Washington delivers, although Wright could’ve used more screen time. The performances are nonetheless universally strong in a film that gets by on charisma and craft. When we examine Lee’s career as a whole, Highest 2 Lowest won’t be viewed as his highest of high or lowest of lows. There’s nothing wrong with getting it right down the middle, however.