“All money ain’t good money.”
That’s a line Denzel Washington’s character, major musical mogul David King, repeats throughout the actor’s latest collaboration with director Spike Lee, “Highest 2 Lowest.”
It’s a film that, while being a modern retelling of Japanese master Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 police procedural “High and Low” (itself an adaptation of Evan Hunter’s 1959 novel “King’s Ransom”), is first and foremost about money; the plot follows King as he becomes the target of a ransom plot via the kidnapping of his son (played by Aubrey Joseph). It’s a film that shows how money can uplift, divide and lead to violence. But most importantly, it’s a film from the perspective of a New Yorker who has climbed the economic mountaintop.
Lee, a known multi-millionaire, is a man who has made revolutionary films on race and (“Do The Right Thing”) and films about revolutionaries (“Malcolm X”), while also taking part in commercials for credit card companies during March Madness. His movies strike at the heart of the American capitalist system while he himself reaps in the benefits of that same system in a variety of ways.
Only Lee could make “Highest 2 Lowest,” which makes its multitudes feel blisteringly introspective and blissfully ignorant all at once. It makes for an entertaining and provoking experience. Not many films can say that. That is Lee’s power.
But Lee is not alone in this tale of money, status and fame. Washington, who has collaborated four previous times with the director (“Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game” and “Inside Man”), has just as much stake in dissecting capitalism from a position of wealth as Lee does.
Washington brings the requisite amount of bravura, confidence and contemplation that makes his character tough to fit in one box or another. Lee understands that Washington, routinely listed as one of the great actors ever, can play these different character angles simultaneously, which makes the work between the two so intriguing.
Washington isn’t alone in flourishing on screen, though — character actor Jeffrey Wright shines as King’s personal driver Paul Christopher. When Christopher finds out his son is actually the one who has been mistakenly kidnapped, Wright displays a frenetic and kinetic energy that keeps the film afloat down the stretch.
Additionally, rapper A$AP Rocky plays delightful lead villain Yung Felon. The character’s motivations behind the kidnapping muddy the waters of Lee’s film which, for the first hour or so, felt like the director and Washington were blindly dismissing the current generation’s modern day hustle for money and followers.
As is typical for a Spike Lee Joint set in New York City, there’s plenty of verve and genuine love for the city that never sleeps. That love is especially apparent when there’s a Yankees fan who chants “Boston sucks!” into the camera.
The most thrilling sequence in the entire film takes place on the 4 Train (Lexington Ave. Express) when a Yankee game coincides with a Puerto Rican pride concert and parade. In an ode to William Friedkin’s 1971 classic “The French Connection,” the chase between King and Yung Felon on the subway shifts from train to train; the tension coming from something as simple as the doors closing at each stop.
Lee relishes in this New York. But when it comes to how he views his status as an example of Black excellence within the city, “Highest 2 Lowest” becomes far more oblique. The film walks a tight rope between “Grandpa has lost it” cinema and a deep look at the inequality between the older and younger generations.
Washington’s character insists he’s doing the right thing with the amount of fame and power he’s accrued, but many of his actions in the first act say otherwise. Lee doesn’t necessarily view King in the harshest lens, which makes one wonder how sharp his critiques of ‘the system’ can be when a protagonist’s main goal is doing the right thing.
But as the film reaches a harrowing conclusion, Lee adds nuance to his own role within and opens the audience to a load of ideas on fan worship, rap and violence.
“Highest 2 Lowest” represents neither an end of career work or the start of something new for Lee. He’s just his same old self, looking in the mirror while listening to James Brown and trashing on Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.
Henry O’Brien is a contributor to CITY.
