After my first viewing of this movie I knew something was way off. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt because most new movies aren’t good these days and I’m tired of it. This was the first new movie I watched where I didn’t have the urge to shut it off like I did so many other recent release I’ve seen (Weapons, 28 Years Later, Wolfman, etc). Highest 2 Lowest kept my attention the entire time and I was invested in the story. It was like - yeah, this movie is a huge mess but I didn’t totally hate it (I don’t think that’s a glowing review).
Then I went to sleep, woke up, and watched it again. It’s pretty clear - this is a huge mess.
Some folks are treating Highest 2 Lowest like it’s the worst thing Spike Lee has ever done (it’s not). This movie is bad but there’s a lot to talk about. That’s something, right? On the other hand you have folks that are convinced this is one of his best projects in a long time (it’s certainly better than Chi-Raq or Redhook Summer but that’s not really saying much). People have this habit of over praising late period disaster pieces from living legend filmmakers. We’re seeing it with Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola and more. I guess Spike Lee is the latest addition to that list.
This is one of those movies that’s a big mess but I didn’t feel like my time was wasted watching it. I’m saying that genuinely. If I have a lot to say about a movie then something was gained, right? The story, very loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s High & Low, is about a botched kidnapping that connects to the music industry. Denzel Washington’s “David King” is at the center of it all.
When it comes to remakes, Spike has never stayed completely true to the source material and this is no exception. Don’t expect a faithful adaptation. Besides the basic plot, Lee does tip his hat to Kurosawa in cute little ways throughout the movie…
The biggest problem here is that Spike Lee shows his age. And not in a wise way. Between his age and wealth he’s out of touch to some degree. This is kind of ironic because the film’s protagonist, David King, is also somewhat out of touch for the same reasons. King living high above everybody in his penthouse (like Spike Lee in real life) over all the little people has disconnected him from everyday average life. He handles and trades millions of dollars on a regular basis, gets driven everywhere and owns priceless art. Now…to some people that’s all you need to achieve the “Black excellence” title which is very surface-level to me. This movie has a lot of that.
What I mean by “surface-level” is that all throughout the movie Spike Lee injects images of famous Black figures folks like James Brown, Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix and others. There’s even a scene in the movie where one of the supporting actors quite literally says; “Black Excellence” in a very forced way. That kind of stuff always seems to please the modern Black audience. It doesn’t matter if the movie is good or not. As long as recognizable Black actors are in it and they play rich people - that’s enough. Black excellence, right? It’s like success through how much money you have or have access to is the most important factor. Folk are more invested in Jay-Z being a billionaire than they are investing their own community. At a certain point, “Black Excellence” morphs in to this unhealthy obsession over status and rich celebrities that don’t even know you exist. One of the biggest underlying themes in this movie is rich older black people represent “good” and poor young Black people represent “bad”. I don’t think this was done intentionally but what’s done is done. There is very much a “pull up your pants, young man!” type of vibe all throughout Highest 2 Lowest. Dare I say it's anti-rap/anti-hip hop?
To be fair, this is the best-looking Spike Lee film in a long time. But, and not to keep using this phrase, that’s only surface-level. Visuals only go so far. A lot of the fundamental stuff like the performances and the believability of it all just aren’t there. ASAP Rocky plays a rapper named “Yung Felon”. I’m sorry but while there are plenty of rappers with the Young/Yung moniker, “Yung Felon” sounds like a made up rap name your boomer parents would make up to laugh at. Or a character Keenan Thompson would play in a bad SNL skit that parodies hip-hop. Again - this is Spike Lee showing his age by telling the younger generation to just pull their pants up.
It’s been said to me a few times already that I’m being too nice about my assessment of this movie. But in all of it’s goofy bullshit and cringey nonsense, I was invested from start to finish even though the last 25 minutes weren’t necessary. There’s almost always been a dream-like fantasy quality to all of Spike Lee’s films. He presents Brooklyn, New York, Chicago, College Campuses, etc with these accentuated colors, whimsical cinematography and overwhelming orchestral music. In Highest 2 Lowest Spike Lee does this with The Bronx. It’s almost like you’re watching a musical without the musical numbers. The problem is there’s things in this movie that are supposed to be rooted in reality and taken completely seriously. Spike Lee’s mix of fantasy and reality don’t mix here. I’m sorry but are we supposed to believe a group of young Bronx criminals (or anyone for that matter) could pull off a 17.5 million kidnap/heist under the circumstances presented in the film? Although, *SPOILERS*, by the time the plan unfolds you’ll see that they do essentially handle it like a bunch of untrained criminals. In another chase scene we’re supposed to believe Denzel’s David King can hold his own in fist fight against someone half his age on a moving train (was the finale supposed to be an homage to Denzel in Unstoppable?)
Both chase scenes in the movie do this sort of smoke and mirrors thing that make you think you’re entertained or on the edge of your seat when you’re in the moment. But once you have a few seconds to think about it you realize it’s all just so silly.
At the end of the day I do wish I saw this on the big screen instead of through Apple TV. It may not have been good but it felt grand. I think part of the reason I’m not completely unloading on this movie is that I’ve essentially grown up with Spike Lee’s films since School Daze. The 80’s. I sort of know what to expect in all of his movies on some level so when he is predictable or lacks subtlety or does something corny, it doesn’t really bother me as much as someone that’s maybe 20 years younger than me.
This was still a bit unnecessary…
Unfortunately my expectations for Spike Lee’s films are now very very low.
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