Highest 2 Lowest | Washington and Lee Miss the Mark
A messy reunion with flashes of brilliance and a chase scene that steals the show.
October 13, 2025 | By Lisa Hatzenbeller
Highest 2 Lowest had me the second I saw Spike Lee and Denzel Washington back together. Their fifth collab. I was already clearing my schedule. I wanted to love it. I wanted that old spark back. Instead, I walked away somewhere in the middle, two and a half out of five reels to be exact.
I talked more about this in my spoiler-free review over on Oscar Obsessed ADHD. It’s a quick watch if you want the full tone behind what worked and what didn’t.
Premiering out of competition at Cannes, the film marks the first time in 18 years that Lee and Washington have teamed up again. Their last project together was Inside Man in 2006, and you can feel both the comfort of their history and the rust of the years between. It’s a big return that carries the weight of expectation, and the result lands somewhere between nostalgia and near miss.
This one’s Spike’s spin on High and Low, the 1963 Kurosawa classic. He moves it to modern New York and swaps out corporate greed for the music business. Denzel plays King, a record exec with money, power, and a moral mess on his hands after his friend’s kid gets kidnapped. The setup’s sharp. The execution? Kinda all over the place.
The highs first. Denzel, as usual, carries. The man could make reading a grocery list cinematic. When the tension hits (especially in that chase scene) I actually stopped what I was doing and just watched. That’s rare for me. The city looks stunning too. Spike still films New York like it’s a living, breathing thing that keeps interrupting your thoughts.
The lows though…the tone shifts constantly. One minute it’s a thriller, the next it’s social commentary, then we’re vibing through a music montage. The score can be great, but sometimes it bulldozes the quieter beats. And the supporting cast? Criminally underused. There’s real talent here, but they fade behind Denzel’s gravity. When A$AP Rocky shares a scene with him, it feels electric, and the film could have used more of that.
It’s not a bad movie. It’s just uneven. It’s like Spike had five ideas and didn’t want to choose between them. Still, it’s worth watching if you’ve followed their history, Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. You’ll feel that same shorthand between them, even when the story can’t quite keep up.
As much as I love seeing them together, I don’t see this one breaking into the awards race. No Oscar nominations feel likely, maybe a stray mention for score, but even that’s a stretch. In the end, Highest 2 Lowest delivers moments worth the watch but never quite the masterpiece its pedigree suggests. Still, there’s something comforting about seeing Denzel and Spike back in the same frame again, even if the magic only flickers.
🎬 What did you think of Highest 2 Lowest?
Did Spike and Denzel still have the spark, or did it feel a little off to you too? I want to hear your take. Comment or tag me on X so we can compare notes.
