Rob Reviews "Highest 2 Lowest"

Spike Lee has always been a daring filmmaker.  From taking on subjects that sparked controversy in the time they were made to making artistic choices to mixed results, he remains unapologetic in his choices, and to make the decision to remake an Akira Kurosawa classic ups the ante of his challenging himself with Highest 2 Lowest.

Denzel Washington hits the “Five Timers” club with Lee as music mogul David King, who is preparing to make a deal to regain controlling interest of the record label he runs, and the day the deal is in place to do so, a series of events kicks off that has him trapped in a ransom plot that will test his morals, his integrity, and even his place in the lives of others.

The last time Lee took on a foreign film that made headlines was in 2013 with Oldboy, which came back to not-so-great returns, but that has not deterred him with Highest 2 Lowest, and this time he hits it out of the park.  Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low is the source material here, which is a huge favorite of film fans everywhere (and a VERY popular selection for those who visit the Criterion Closet).  This tale translates VERY well sixty-two years after that film was released, and Lee knows how to make it work.  Washington continues to remind the masses just how good he is, from his rock-solid delivery to expressions that in some cases say more than he could and even in the way he elevates everyone around him.  His right-hand man, Paul, is played masterfully by Jeffrey Wright, and fueled this story as its twists and turns manifested into a third act that is nothing short of a wild ride.

There is also a masterclass in performance by Ilfenesh Hadera (Billions, Master of None) as David’s wife, Pam.  Her speech early on as they talk about David’s plan to take back his company on the terrace of their penthouse is the perfect blend of understatement and strength that alone made me focus more on her character arc as the film went on.  Dean Winters (“Mayhem” from those insurance commercials) is here as one of the detectives assigned to the case whose character also kept me guessing up until the resolution of this story, and keep your eye out for a standout performance by hip-hop artist A$AP Rocky that goes toe-to-toe with Washington in this film’s most pivotal and intense scene.

The runtime here almost matches the original at about two hours and fifteen minutes, and very little is wasted here.  There will be the argument made that there are a couple of spots that could have been trimmed back, but I don’t have that issue.  Lee also does a great job of keeping a “retro” aesthetic in the filmmaking style (even to the overuse of score in a couple of places that got to me at first, but I ended up with the realization that this was more about paying homage to the time that the original was done in more than anything) while keeping the story fresh.

This is Spike Lee’s best work in a long time and could be one of his best films ever on every level.  Watch for it when awards season comes around, and while I don’t think it needs to be seen in a theater, I wouldn’t stop you from seeing it that way either.