Spike Lee has dropped the first full trailer for Highest 2 Lowest, his latest project and long-awaited reunion with Denzel Washington. The film marks their first collaboration since Inside Man in 2006 and their fifth overall.
Set in present-day New York, the story follows David King, a wealthy music executive whose world tilts when kidnappers take the chauffeur’s child instead of his own. Washington plays King with a mix of authority and unease. A$AP Rocky steps in as the kidnapper, delivering a tense phone threat: “I gotta feed the streets, my lady, and a newborn kid.”
The film draws inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low but, as Lee has said, is not a remake. Instead, it reimagines the moral questions of the original through the lens of race, ambition, and the modern music industry.
Star Power and On-Screen Tension
Speaking recently on The Tonight Show, Lee praised Rocky’s performance, noting the rapper “held his own” with Washington and even went “toe-to-toe” in key scenes. That dynamic, Lee suggested, adds depth to a film centered on moral trade-offs and personal accountability.
The cast also includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Wendell Pierce, Dean Winters, Aubrey Joseph, and Ice Spice in her film debut. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique and composer Howard Drossin bring visual and sonic tension to Lee’s direction, layering suspense with atmosphere.
Early Buzz and Release Plans
Highest 2 Lowest premiered out of competition at Cannes on May 19, 2025, drawing praise for its sharp script and bold visual style. One critic called it “exceptional… using the past as a starting point to launch into what may be the final phase of Lee’s career.”
The film hits U.S. theaters on August 15, followed by an Apple TV+ release on September 5.