Despite excellent reviews, director Spike Lee‘s latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, isn’t really attracting any Oscar buzz. The movie has also had a tremendous run on Apple TV, where it recently passed a major milestone. Highest 2 Lowest marked Lee’s long-awaited reunion with star Denzel Washington for the first time in nearly two decades. Based on the Akira Kurosawa movie High and Low, which itself was based on the book “King’s Ransom,” the movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year before getting a very limited theatrical run courtesy of A24. According to FlixPatrol, Highest 2 Lowest has now completed over 100 days on the domestic Apple TV charts, the majority of which it spent at the number one spot. It was replaced by the acclaimed survival drama The Lost Bus, followed by the action sequel The Family Plan 2, and then the blockbuster racing drama F1.
Highest 2 Lowest follows the moral quandary of a fictional music mogul in New York, whose son is kidnapped for ransom. When the mogul discovers that his son is safe and that his longtime aide’s son has been taken instead, he withdraws his offer. The movie opened to excellent reviews and is now sitting at a “certified fresh” 83% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Spike Lee and Denzel Washington remix a classic with vibrantly contemporary results in Highest 2 Lowest, a swaggering thriller that lovingly showcases New York City.” It’s Washington’s third-highest-rated movie ever on RT, behind only Glory and The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Spike Lee’s Last Two Movies Have Been for Streamers
In her review, Collider’s Therese Lacson wrote, “Vibrant, loud, and full of life, Highest 2 Lowest is an upbeat film that is a tonal shift from the original, but, thanks in large part to Washington’s powerhouse performance, it is a delight to watch.” Also starring Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and ASAP Rocky, the movie was released just a year after Washington attracted Oscar buzz for his performance in Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator II. The actor will next star in the Netflix heist movie Here Comes the Flood, directed by Fernando Meirelles and also starring Robert Pattinson. Lee collaborated with Netflix five years ago, on the epic adventure film Da 5 Bloods, which served as one of Chadwick Boseman‘s final projects and earned excellent reviews. You can watch Highest 2 Lowest on Apple TV, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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August 15, 2025
- Runtime
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133 minutes
