Spike Lee and Denzel Washington Reunite for Crime Thriller "Highest 2 Lowest"

Spike Lee has released the first official trailer for his upcoming crime thriller "Highest 2 Lowest," marking the fifth collaboration between the acclaimed director and two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. The film is a modern reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic "High and Low," which was itself based on the novel "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain.

Set in contemporary New York City, the story follows a music mogul played by Washington who becomes targeted with a ransom plot, forcing him into a life-or-death moral dilemma.

The star-studded cast includes A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and rapper Ice Spice, with A$AP Rocky playing Washington's son in the film and the project serving as Ice Spice's feature film debut.

Written by Alan Fox and produced by A24, Apple, Escape Artists, Mandalay Pictures, and Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, the film was shot in New York City with cinematographer Matthew Libatique from March to May 2024.

"Highest 2 Lowest" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2025, before hitting theaters on August 22 and streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 5. This marks the first narrative feature film for Lee in five years and continues his long-standing creative partnership with Washington, following their previous collaborations on "Mo' Better Blues," "Malcolm X," "He Got Game," and "Inside Man." In the trailer, Washington's character reflects on the moral complexities of success, stating: "There's more to life than just making money. It's integrity. There's what you stand for. It's what you actually believe in."