The tagline for this movie: All $$ Ain’t Good $$. A music mogul known for his exceptional auditory perception and past ability to foster burgeoning musical artists becomes the target of a ransom plot. When certain circumstances change due to human error yet remain life-or-death for an individual, a moral dilemma arises that could impact the future of all involved.
Highest 2 Lowest is a modernization of a classic Japanese film based on a book from an American crime novelist that distills the essence of certain characters to give a modern interpretation of the story that rings true to the current climate while commenting on representations of class versus influence with the prevalence of social media in today’s society. Spike Lee directs his version of the Akira Kurosawa classic High And Low, the only way he knows how and that is with a fluidity that makes the cinematic experience of this watching this film feel almost lyrical. The screenplay by Alan Fox modernizes certain aspects of the story based on the script by Kurosawa, Eijiro Hisaita, Ryuzo Kikushima, & Hideo Oguni based on the novel King’s Ransom: An 87th Precinct Mystery by Evan Hunter under his pen name Ed McBain. The portrayals by the cast are above board with special notice of course to Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright with honorable mention to Rakim Athelston Mayera aka A$AP Rocky. The score by Howard Drossin is able to rise to the occasion of the plot as it unfolds but in certain scenes it feels intrusive as it undercuts the intended emotional impact of particular performances. This Spike Lee is easily his best adaptation of a film from another director, beating out the experimental Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and orders of magnitude better than his take on Oldboy. I rate this film a rating of 3 & 1/2 out of 5.
