Highest 2 Lowest

If you're a big fan of spike lee, you'll probably love it. Maybe again you'll probably be disappointed. In my opinion, wasn't bad but it could've been great. It felt kinda dragged, overall you got Denzel, asap rocky did solid.

You can see asap was very into his lines, the scenes between him and Denzel were good.

Catch it at home and have a sit back on the couch with some popcorn and pizza and enjoy. It's in select theaters, feel free to try to catch it otherwise it'll be available to stream in 2 weeks.

Spike Lee has one of his best films ever in Highest 2 Lowest, a traditional police procedural but intellectually elevated by being based on a masterful 1963 Akira Kurasawa ransom film, High and Low, with the same trajectory to classic as the adaptation of Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai into The Magnificent Seven. Highest 2 Lowest is one of the best movies of the year and one of the top crime movies of all time.

Music mogul David Kin (Denzel Washington) is threatened to be personally and professionally dethroned by the kidnapping of his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), by criminals unknown until later. It is revelatory to see the police navigate kidnapping with the social-media challenges that attack the high-profile dad for the way he deals with the demands of the crooks, the public, and morality.

Lee has a field day playing the racial tensions between the races, including this time Puerto Rico and Cuba and who knows how many others in the biggest melting pot ion the world. Lee makes the conflicts lyrical with music that inspires community and love.

The love letter to New York by cinematographer Matthew Libatique is beautiful as well as complementary to the complex plot and the NY vision usually accompanying a Lee movie. The beautiful landscape belies the ugly proceedings as King is morally challenged by a twist in which he becomes responsible for the ransom of a child not his own. It's a personally and publicly Hobson's choice that Denzel handles with Oscar-nominating dexterity.

Oscar-worthy is his face off with the kidnapper. The rapping motif is jaw-droppingly expert and electrifying. Denzel carries it off with the cool mastering that makes him one of the top actors of his generation.

In a logical comparison with Michael Douglas's Gordon Gekko of Wall Street, Denzel's King is less impressive if only for the wide range Douglas's script gives, yet the studio rapper scene in Higher is a tour de force for Denzel. Look for this outstanding drama on Apple TV+. Just don't miss Highest 2 Lowest.

This was a "we made it" film. Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright are far from needing to prove their filmmaking and acting chops, so this was a love letter to New York, Brooklyn and Black art. It's a timely representation of Black men building from the ground up, growing together and being a bridge to the young men (A$AP Rocky) who aspire to become them. The plot fell flat for me, because more could've been done with the characters, especially Jeffrey Wright's role. I watched and became more engrossed in the art collection than the story itself.

The overall good reviews suckered me into giving this a chance but it was a major letdown. I haven't rolled my eyes and thought "this is so cringe" so many times in a movie before. TERRIBLE editing and pacing. Very boring...jumping around skipping crucial scenes you'd expect to see. It seemed like it was written by a 13 year old. Some very bad acting...almost walked out early on but was hoping for a payoff that never really comes. Out of the whole 2+ hours there was maybe like 5 minutes of what I would call good or interesting choices. It's so over the top and cheesy, including most of the music that is getting undeserved praise. A lot of times it doesn't fit with what's happening on the screen much at all. A24 should be ashamed of being attached to this.

Expected more from Spike Lee. Very misfitting score that belonged in a Star Wars type film. We don't need loud distracting music over every scene. The double edited shots were also distracting and over done. Bad acting from many of the supporting cast. Slow start, could have easily tightened the edit. This film didn't seem to know what it was. No clear vision. A little preachy. And a kind of dull story line with no twist!