Overview

• The film reimagines Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, with Denzel Washington playing a music mogul facing a kidnapping-driven moral dilemma.
• After a Cannes premiere, the movie began a mid-August U.S. run on about 200 screens and will stream on Apple TV+ on September 5.
• Reviews single out Washington’s performance and Lee’s Bronx and subway set pieces, while noting a light promotional push and a constrained rollout.
• Production design features reproductions inspired by Spike Lee’s personal art collection to dress the protagonist’s penthouse, according to Lee and designer Mark Friedberg.
• Live-recorded sequences include the late Eddie Palmieri’s appearance at a Puerto Rican Day Parade, and A$AP Rocky features as Yung Felon.