Denzel Washington's "unpredictable" new crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest has debuted with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
The film from director Spike Lee is a new interpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 movie High and Low, and follows a music mogul who is targeted with a ransom plot as he faces a moral dilemma.
Also starring The Last of Us' Jeffrey Wright and rappers ASAP Rocky and Ice Spice, Highest 2 Lowest has just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it has largely attracted acclaim.
At the time of writing, the movie stands at a 95% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with some critics praising its entertainment value and how it updates the original to a 21st century context – though others suggested it wasn't Lee's best work.
Here's what they've been saying:
RobertEbert.com
"Similar to Lee’s public persona, Highest 2 Lowest is a chaos agent of a movie, the kind of lavish, unpredictable crime thriller that zips when you expect it to zoom. It begins on a slow and sleepy climb, worrying the viewer that the director might’ve finally lost his touch, before exploding into a manic filmmaking cornucopia that includes some of the best images of Lee’s long career."
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The Guardian
"This is a big, muscular picture which aspires to the crowd-pleasing athleticism of Spike Lee’s sports icons; it’s very enjoyable and there’s a great turn from Washington."
IndieWire
"Spike Lee’s deliriously entertaining – if jarringly upbeat – Highest 2 Lowest modernizes the post-war anxieties of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low for the age of parasocial relationships."
TIME
"Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, playing out of competition here at the Cannes Film Festival, is a new entry on the scroll of great New York films. It’s smart, hugely entertaining, and profound in a way that’s anything but sentimental."
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The Independent
"Spike Lee’s working relationship with Denzel Washington stretches back 35 years. Their latest collaboration, Highest 2 Lowest, is an entertaining crime thriller – but it seems sketchy and lightweight when set against some of their previous movies together, most notably 1992’s Malcolm X."
Little White Lies
"You take the good with the bad, the high with the low, all included in the price of admission for a showcase of Spike Lee’s undiminished vitality."
Highest 2 Lowest will be released in US cinemas on 22 August, before streaming on Apple TV+ in the UK and US on 5 September.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
