← Back to results
Highest 2 Lowest
2025 133 min United States of America, Japan R 18+
★6.2
Thriller, Crime, Drama
Director: Spike Lee
🎭 Based on
«High and Low»
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Teaser
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
Description
When a titan music mogul, widely known as having the "best ears in the business", is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
Budget:
$25M
US Gross:
$1.5M
Worldwide:
$1.5M
Starring
Denzel Washington
Actor
Jeffrey Wright
Actor
Ilfenesh Hadera
Actor
Awards
1 win & 30 nominations total
Key opinion
Highest 2 Lowest is a polarizing reimagining of Kurosawa's classic, praised by some for its layered performances and sharp social commentary on wealth and celebrity worship. However, others criticize the film for its uninspired direction, weak narrative structure, and failure to capture the intensity of the original source material.
| Acting | Denzel Washington delivers a complex and compelling performance as David King, anchoring the film’s moral exploration. | |
| Theme | The film succeeds as a sophisticated social critique, utilizing biblical allusions and pop-culture references to deconstruct modern celebrity worship and black arts funding. | |
| Acting | Jeffrey Wright provides a superb and emotionally resonant performance as the desperate father, though his limited screen time restricts the film's perspective. | |
| Direction | Spike Lee’s direction is divisive; supporters admire his subtle exploration of Jungian shadows, while detractors view his approach as boring and a regression from his influential earlier work. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay receives mixed reactions, with some critics appreciating its naturalistic dialogue and others finding the core narrative and kidnapping plot to be weak and lacking necessary sharpness. |