Director and screenwriter Spike Lee’s ("Da 5 Bloods," 2020) latest film is the family crime drama "Highest 2 Lowest," and it’s his first feature-length fiction film since 2020. Denzel Washington ("The Little Things," 2021) plays David King, a super rich and super famous music producer whose luxury and business deals are pushed to the brink of destruction when his teenage son is kidnapped by a mysterious man demanding a multi-million dollar ransom.
But "Highest 2 Lowest" is not as simple as that. It has a few twists, the first one being the kidnapper does not actually abduct David King’s son but mistakenly abducts the son of David King’s working class driver/assistant instead. The kidnapper realizes his mistake, still demands his giant ransom, and David King is forced into a dilemma of difficult decisions.
Before I get into my thoughts on this one, I need to explain "Highest 2 Lowest" is a remake of the 1963 Japanese film, "High and Low" directed and co-written by the famously revered Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa. Both "High and Low" and "Highest 2 Lowest" are adapted from the 1959 American detective novel, "King’s Ransom" by Evan Hunter. "High and Low" adapted this novel with great success. The black & white film from the 60s is one half a subtle thriller and one half a meticulous police procedural.
"Highest 2 Lowest" moves this story from the crowded streets of Yokohama, Japan to the glamor of current day New York City. And this new remake explores themes of morality, class differences, and the clash of economic inequality (the same themes as the Japanese film).
Since it’s stated in the title, this film is clearly divided into two parts: a high and a low. The first half is a peaceful, domestic melodrama in David King’s grand penthouse apartment while he learns of the kidnapping and talks to his inner circle to figure out his decision. The latter half is an intense physical search for the kidnapper on the dark and dirty streets of the Bronx.
It’s these two halves of this film I have a huge problem with. The first half is so melodramatic and theatrically overdone, I felt like I was watching a televised after-school special from the 90s. Too much of the screenplay spends time telling the audience everything instead of showing it. And the instrumental musical score is so extravagant highlighting every dramatic moment, it comes off like an artificial soap opera. So many moments meant to be harrowing or riveting left me feeling confused with the question, “How can it be Spike Lee directed this film?” persisting in my head.
Spike Lee is deservedly known for giving audiences a heightened, forceful look at the gritty side of urban life exploring politically charged issues of racism, crime, and poverty. His films often feel edgy, dangerous, authentic, and contemporary like "Do the Right Thing" (1989), "Clockers" (1995), "Summer of Sam" (1999), and "Inside Man" (2006). These kinds of films, I thought, make Spike Lee a terrific choice for directing this remake. But I didn’t get any of that dynamic aggressive authenticity in "Highest 2 Lowest," because it all felt so overly-produced and emotionally trite (especially in the moments where Denzel Washington is deep in thought).
In one scene where David King is considering the ransom payment, sitting tired alone in his study, he looks at some framed photographs of iconic musicians of the past like Jimmi Hendrix and Aretha Franklin. With full seriousness, he speaks to these photos and says, "What would you do, Jimmi? And what would you do, Aretha?" Can someone save me from such silly moments as this? Even for some of the scene transitions, a fictional company logo glides across the screen like a sliding door, making me think I was watching a childlike music video. Please.
I was nudged slightly out of my seat during one exciting sequence when the ransom money is delivered on a subway train and then chased after through a vibrant outdoor Puerto Rico festival brimming with dancers, flags, and motorcycles. Where’s that kind of energy and focus in the rest of this film?
Of course, many of these problems come from the screenplay written by Alan Fox whom I’ve never heard of before and who I learned has never written a feature-length film before. I left the theater feeling so frustrated after this I started thinking, “What did the screenwriter even use to actually type this remedial dialogue, a calculator? Did he use the squares of a regular keyboard printed on a sheet of paper?”
This honestly could have been one of the best films of the year. But it falls horribly flat sacrificing its authenticity & edge for the sake of shallow, sentimental, overwrought emotions.
