Don Reviews "Highest 2 Lowest"

Great director-to-actor combinations in Hollywood seem to be more and more rare, but when hit works like Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, or Samuel L. Jackson and Quentin Tarantino, it can be magic.  The film I am talking about this time features the fifth time that Denzel Washington has worked with Spike Lee, but the question is: will this have the same magic that Inside Man had?

Highest 2 Lowest also stars A$AP Rocky, Aubrey Joseph, and Elijah Wright in the story of David King (Washington), a well-known music mogul who wants to take back control of his record label before it is sold off to a large company.  On the verge of that decision, he becomes the victim of ransom plot that tests his judgement on top of everything else.

The cast is good here with Washington showing the comfort level he has when being directed by Lee.  The supporting cast also does a fine job, but as good as the acting is, I do not see any nominations at the end of the year.  Lee also shoots this well, with New York City looking amazing.

Unfortunately, that is all the good I found in Highest 2 Lowest.  My biggest issue here is the two-hour-fifteen-minute run time that is WAY TOO LONG!  This easily could have an hour cut with no impact on the plot itself, with about fifteen of it balanced between cutting back the opening titles and final scene before the credits.  There is also another ten minutes at a minimum from the film itself that could have been trimmed.

When you look at a film like Inside Man (which was about the same as this one) which keeps a steady pace, it still works because the plot fit and justified that run time.  I think Lee wanted to repackage that film and combine it with something that resembles Ransom hoping that would have the same magic, but it just doesn’t.  I also feel that Lee is also trying to make a political and racial statement with this film, which isn’t what I am looking for in a film like this. With the unnecessary parts of the film, I lost about a hour of my life and I will not waste my time ever watching this film again, and I cannot recommend it.