Spike Lee’s upcoming film is a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s classic, High and Low, set in the music industry and also starring A$AP Rocky
Denzel Washington pontificates on what actually matters in life in the new teaser for Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, which is loosely based on the 1963 Akira Kurosawa classic, High and Low.
The 50-second spot centers around a monologue from Washington that seems to zero in on the film’s key themes. “There’s more to life than just making money,” Washington says at the start. “There’s integrity, there’s what you stand for, there’s what you actually believe in.”
Accompanying this speech is a flurry of shots from the film, which include everything from car chases and protests to recording sessions and shootouts. “So,” Washington continues breathlessly, “can you handle the mayhem, can you handle the money, can you handle the success, can you handle the failure, can you handle the lovers, can you handle the memes, can you handle everything that there is between? That’s the question I have for you. Can you handle it?”
In terms of plot, Lee has called Highest 2 Lowest a “reinterpretation” of High and Low, a kidnapping drama centered around a high-powered executive in the shoe business. Lee’s film, however, is set in the modern-day music business, with Washington playing a mogul at the center of the tale, and A$AP Rocky in “the main role, per Lee.
Along with Washington and Rocky, Highest 2 Lowest will also star Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Ice Spice in her first major acting role. The film’s script was written by William Alan Fox, and it marks Lee’s first feature since 2020’s Da 5 Bloods.
Highest 2 Lowest is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month. A theatrical release is set for Aug. 22, with the film arriving on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
