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Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest Lands on Apple TV+, Recasting a Classic With Denzel Washington

The Apple TV+ release draws reviews that highlight Spike Lee’s reinterpretation of Kurosawa to examine how the music industry profits from Black culture.

Overview

  • Denzel Washington stars as music mogul David King, whose response to a kidnapping drives a story about moral pressure and financial risk.
  • Spike Lee frames the film as a contemporary reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, relocating the drama to Black New York.
  • Critics focus on the film’s critique of cultural extraction, spotlighting how Black music is packaged and monetized by the industry.
  • The cast includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Aubrey Joseph, Elijah Wright, and A$AP Rocky, with notable appearances by Rick Fox and Eddie Palmieri.
  • The film is now available to stream on Apple TV+, prompting fresh assessments of its themes and Lee–Washington collaboration.