Introduction
Undeniably entertaining, Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest proves Lee and Denzel Washington continue to have the collaborative juices flowing, despite more complex themes being pushed aside in favor of conventionality.
There are two films at odds with each other. Drawing from Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, Lee spends the first half of the film grappling with ideas of legacy, responsibility, and friendship, which is never anything but captivatingly complex.
Eventually, Highest 2 Lowest makes a decision, and the second half turns into something much more expected and commercial, without Lee losing his signature style and flair. While I enjoyed the film as a whole, there was an opportunity for Lee to challenge the audience more than he ultimately did.
Synopsis
Washington stars as legendary music executive David King, the man with the “best ears in the business.” As the founder of Stackin’ Hits Records, he faces the potential sale of his company and a potential distortion of his legacy. Supported by his wife Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) and his son Trey (Aubrey Joseph), David looks to leverage his success and buy back his ownership stake to stop the sale. When David receives a call that Trey has been kidnapped for a $17.5 million ransom, everything stops.
It turns out, the kidnapper, Yung Felon (ASAP Rocky), kidnapped Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of David’s driver, Paul (Jeffrey Wright), with Trey turning up safe. With his business at stake, and now with his son safely back home, David must decide to pay the ransom and save Paul, or face whatever consequences come if he ignores the kidnappers.
Themes
Though I wouldn’t exactly describe Spike Lee as a provocateur, he certainly isn’t afraid to buck traditional systems. Lee finds time to comment on the competent incompetence of police, the culture of New York City, and responding to social media. But all of that is sub-commentary. When David begins to question whether or not to pay the ransom, that is the peak conflict for himself and the audience.
How are we supposed to feel about a larger-than-life figure, played by a larger-than-life actor, making a drastically unethical, immoral, but ultimately selfish decision? Letting viewers come to terms with their moral quandaries while David wrestles with his own is uncomfortable, unorthodox, and extremely thematically rich.
But the plot must eventually move on, and with it, the film. After that point, the complexity of the situation runs into some barriers, but never those with such inner turmoil for the characters. Money becomes an issue, which is a scramble, but not an actual internal battle. You have hints of different avenues this film can take, before eventually settling on the easiest route.
It’s not that the film makes a ton of mistakes. It’s just that it could have made some very unique choices, but reverted to the norm of entertaining. But I certainly won’t fault it for being entertaining. Because it is just that, above all.
Cast
For consistently being one of the most commanding lead performers of our time, Washington isn’t exactly a small personality. That personality and command shine through in the role, though the actor never gives himself fully over to the material. This is not the utter commitment of The Tragedy of Macbeth or adherence to the material of Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Instead, Washington’s moderately proportioned effort lends itself to the flippant character, but also denies his full potential. Even at 75%, Denzel is more magnetic than 95% of other actors, so it isn’t some major fault of the film or performance.
Wright gets to add some nice color to a character that the script doesn’t help along, but he always has a welcome screen presence. In a fairly heavy film, he gets the majority of the levity. ASAP Rocky works wonders in a role that doesn’t see him on-screen for 90 minutes, but when he gets there, it is nothing short of excellent. A late film showdown between himself and Washington is one of the clear highlights of the film.
Conclusion
While it might not reach the thematic heights of Spike Lee’s previous films, Highest 2 Lowest is nothing less than entertaining. Few filmmakers have such flair and energy in their films, and having Denzel Washington as your ever-magnetic star is just a plus.
