Overview

• Highest 2 Lowest wrapped its Cannes Film Festival run on Aug. 14 to broadly mixed-to-positive early reviews.
• Denzel Washington’s portrayal of music mogul David King is widely praised as the film’s emotional anchor.
• Spike Lee’s depiction of New York comes alive in kinetic street-to-subway sequences, which critics single out as highlights.
• Reviewers fault the film’s inconsistent tone and Howard Drossin’s overbearing score for undermining its dramatic stakes.
• A24 will release the film theatrically in the U.S. this month (reportedly on Aug. 15 or Aug. 22) before it streams on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5, 2025.