Solid
Summary
Highest 2 Lowest has an interesting premise, great camerawork, and the usual powerhouse performance by Denzel Washington. However, the movie is too long and drags in parts.
Plot: Music mogul David King (Denzel Washington) faces a moral crisis when a kidnapper snatches his godson, Kyle (Elijah Wright), mistaking him for King’s son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph).
Review: This latest Spike Lee joint is based on a movie (High and Low by the great Akira Kurosawa). Kurosawa’s film was based on a book, King’s Ransom, written by Ed McBain. I’ve neither watched the Kurosawa movie nor read the McBain book. Therefore, don’t expect me to make any comparisons to either the previous theatrical release or its literary originator.
As for Spike Lee movies, I’ve only seen one, Inside Man, which I greatly enjoyed. It’s not that I don’t like Spike Lee; I just figure he doesn’t make movies for folks like me. His black New York experience isn’t something I identify with. Movies are like that. Michael Bay doesn’t make movies for middle-aged spinsters…unless they’re middle-aged spinsters who like a lot of explosions.
The movie has an interesting premise; when Denzel’s son is kidnapped, and then it’s revealed that it’s actually his godson that was taken, a fascinating moral conundrum plays out. The story becomes a bit absurd near the end, and while it’s a satisfying conclusion, it almost feels like it’s part of another movie. To see nearly 70-year-old Denzel beating up a man half his age is a little…yeah…fantastical. Yet, it’s the ending we want to see, so it does work.
The camerawork is excellent. I enjoyed the use of the camera to do transitions and to focus on and isolate characters at certain times. Showing quick shots of subway stations, how the camera lovingly caresses the city, New York feels like another character in the movie. Lee takes what could have been a standard point-and-shoot movie and really tries to elevate it. The soundtrack is top-notch and memorable, the music amplifying the scenes where needed.
The cast is good. Denzel is always excellent, as is Jeffrey Wright as his right-hand man. I enjoyed seeing ex-NBA players Rod Strickland and Rick Fox play themselves, and Ilfenesh Hadera shines as Denzel’s quiet strength in the movie. I think ASAP Rocky got a little grating on the nerves sometimes with his aggressive performance, but I understand that it was needed to punctuate the difference between him and Denzel’s characters, not just in age, but also in point in life and stature.
The one considerable criticism I have of the movie is that it’s too long, and the pacing is wobbly at times. The scene where the cops are chasing the kidnappers through the Puerto Rican street festival seems to take forever, and the movie has multiple opportunities to end, but keeps going. I was more invested in the kidnapping and revenge aspect of the story than in David King’s career, which is how the movie opted to end, which was a bit of a shoulder-shrug for me. At 133 minutes runtime, I think trimming it to an even 120 minutes would have made it better.
Despite this criticism, the movie is overall above average and worth a look. Denzel is always watchable, even when his films aren’t great, and there’s enough story, character work, artistry and intrigue to keep you entertained. Check it out if you get the chance.