"Highest 2 Lowest" only got a brief theatrical run before it hit Apple TV Plus. Unlike "F1," which is somehow still in theaters, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee's new crime thriller quickly made its way onto Apple's streaming service. While cinephiles like myself may be outraged that Denzel and Spike Lee's fifth team-up ever exited theaters so fast, I can promise you, it's still definitely worth watching at home. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it is worth paying the new Apple TV Plus price hike — though with Apple's seven-day free trial, you don't have to.
I just finished sitting down on my couch, turning on my TCL QM6K and watching all 133 minutes of "Highest 2 Lowest," and while it had me scratching my head at times, by the end, I was incredibly satisfied with the movie. Denzel (unsurprisingly) is incredible, and basically blew me away any time he was acting opposite someone. The movie is almost a series of peaks and valleys, with each peak being anytime Denzel is on screen. Thankfully, as the star of the movie, he's on screen a lot.
But he's not the only one to watch from this movie's impressive cast. Jeffrey Wright is essentially Denzel's co-star in this movie, and the only one who really holds his own in a scene that doesn't involve Denzel. ASAP Rocky plays the movie's villain, and while he's acted a few times before, he's a pleasant surprise as Denzel's foil.
What is 'Highest 2 Lowest' about?
"Highest 2 Lowest" is an adaptation of not one, but two classics. The first half of the movie is almost directly ripped from Akira Kurosawa's 1963 police crime thriller "High and Low," which itself is an adaptation of the 1959 Ed McBain crime novel "King's Ransom." It stars Denzel as David King, a legendary New York musical mogul who is trying to buy back his music label, Stackin' Hits Records.
But right as he gets the money together to buy a controlling stake in the label, he gets the call no father wants to hear: his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph) has been kidnapped.
The kidnapper wants $17.5 million USD in Swiss 1,000-franc banknotes, and King is ready to deliver the money. Suddenly, though, Trey is found — and it's revealed that it's Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of King's driver, Paul, who has been kidnapped instead.
'Highest 2 Lowest' rewards you for watching
Once it's revealed that Kyle, not Trey, has been kidnapped, that's where "Highest 2 Lowest" really begins. As much as this movie is about the kidnapping, it's also about the character arc and growth of Denzel Washington's David King. He's a celebrity. People call him King David. They beg for one shot at fame and fortune. He has enough money and clout to get the police to treat him (mostly) with respect, something that isn't extended to his driver, Paul.
So maybe it's not a surprise that when he learns it's Paul's son, not his own son, who's in danger, he is reluctant to pay the ransom. After all, if he pays, it could jeopardize his business dealings, and that hurts him personally. While risking his own godson's life is certainly not ideal, he'll be able to move on if something happens.
By the end of the movie, you'll see whether or not King David has his come to God moment, realizing what really matters in life. But in the time it takes you to get there, you get to experience some incredible scenes of acting from Denzel and Jeffrey Wright.
Two moments really jumped out at me, one from each of them. For Denzel, it's the moment right before the movie hits its climax, where he and ASAP Rocky are talking — at one point freestyling — back and forth and it's electric. You can't look away even if you want to.
Another moment you can't look away is when Wright, as Paul, starts having a conversation with the police detectives in charge of the case of his kidnapped son. They've been mistrustful of Paul, a former felon, and he finally snaps and asks them if he's being detained, and if he's not, to get out of his way. It's a moment where Paul shifts from the archetype Spike has him playing and instead becomes an angry father just worried about his kid. It's a switch that gets flipped momentarily, never to be flipped on again.
Now, just because this movie is great doesn't mean it's flawless. There's melodrama, there are corny moments. It's a bit too much of an homage to New York and a diss track aimed at Boston, the latter of which doesn't really fit the script. But this movie also made me laugh more than once, despite its crime drama genre, and as the climactic moment approaches, Wright delivers a pair of lines that made me laugh as hard as anything has this year. It's almost worth watching for that alone.
So, now that it's on Apple TV Plus, there's no reason not to stream "Highest 2 Lowest." It's flawed, but still managed to blow me away, and I felt better about it leaving than I did coming in. If that's not a successful movie, I don't know what is, and it's well worth the $12.99 a month that Apple TV Plus costs now (though again, you can get a free trial).
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
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