One of the joys of the films is watching the act of Denzel Washington. While the concept of the Starwar film has changed dramatically over the years, Washington remains one of the best - the electricity artist with the presence of a screen that drags us like a magnet. Washington had many wonderful associates over the years (one of my personal favorites is Late, great tony Scott), but probably the best of his partnerships is with Spike Lee. Lee, one of the best he ever didHe used Washington in several memorable roles, and the last time they worked together was in the robbery of the 2006 Krackerjak Bank robbery “Inside the man” (The biggest hit of the box office in Lee's career).

Now, nearly 20 years later, Washington and Lee are again with the "highest 2 lowest", remake of Akira Kurosawa's "High and Low" masterful and low and low (Inspired by the book Ed McBain "King Redemption"). Washington and Lee reunification are probably worth just the price of reception, and of course, both goodies are returning to an electric rhythm, with Washington doing part of his best job, commanding him on the screen while playing a once-a man who wonders whether his time has come and is gone.

That doesn't mean saying "the highest 2 lowest" is home. This is a thorny ride, and the first half of the film is iousubopitic off In almost imperceptible guests (though the roar of Howard Drosin, distracting the musical result, it certainly doesn't do it as it is). Despite his significant talents, Lee wasn't the best happiness with remakeAnd the first 40 or more minutes of the "highest 2 lowest" worried me, though Washington is pretty great outside the gate. However, in the end, Lee begins to cut loosely, creating something funny and exciting in the process.

The "Highest 2 Lowest" follows the basic premise of Kurosawa's classic, telling the story of the kidnapping and the difficult decisions that follow. Washington is David King, a millionaire tycoon and record producer, who leads Stanin's records. We have been told (constantly) that David has the best ears in business, but Hits of Stan seems to have not set hits since 2004, and the company is in the wake of sales. But David does not want to miss the empire he built, and he cooked a plan (and money) to buy a control interest for the company itself.

Of course, you can take a target of access to this character and assume that Lee seeing something in David - a great artist worried that his famous days are behind him as the industry changes (there is even a moment when David relies on the increased use of AI). I mean, hell, once in time, Lee/Washington's team would be a big event, but "the highest 2 lowest" had barely marketing, and the film gets a small theater release before ending at Apple TV+. There is a little imagination of a nursing man here, because "the highest 2 lowest" eventually becomes a story to return to fame without selling - the dream of anyone who was once at the top just to see the glitter.

The world of David is turned upside down when he gets a call, telling him that his teenage son Trey (Josephospha) has been abducted. But here's the turn: Trey no were abducted. Instead, the kidnapper was misplaced by Kyle (Elijah Wright), Trey's best friend and Son of Paul (Effe Hert), a lifelong friend of David/current driver. The kidnapper doesn't care that he has the wrong child, he just wants money, and many of it, or Kyle will be killed. You may think the solution is simple: David is a rich man, why wouldn't he pay simply to save the life of his best friend's son?

But David hesitates. That's a huge amount of cash (the abductor requires 17.5 million in Swiss francs, which translates to about $ 21,727,177,50), and losing that money can torpedo David's comfortable life And Kill his dream to use control of the label he built.

This first part of the film, where David walks around his penthouse and deals with decisions while dealing with the police, is awkward and even out of putting. The actors do the best they can - Washington is, as always, a huge presence, and he and Wright share some great, emotional moments. But the scenes lack some urgency, and that musical musical result continues to threaten to destroy everything - it constantly sounds like a parody of what can be the old result of the school film and penetrates at times in a way that kills any intensity before it can be built.

I wouldn't call this part of the movie badTrue, but it has left me confused, because I know how it can do much better. Does it try to play a trick for us? Or is he just disinterested in this part of the film? I don't know the answer, but in the end, David leaves his apartment, heading to the streets of the New York and "the highest 2 lowest" starts to undress. Lee phases frenetic redemption for ransom that is really exciting, and the film comes even more in life when we start spending more time with the kidnapper, aspiring rapper named Jung Shellon, played with top self-esteem with the scenery-up-up Asap Rocky.

Lee and editors Barry Alexander Brown and Allison F. NSONSON also maintains the film to move at a breaking speed, using fast, attractive reductions even in the most sincere scenes. This approach gives the "highest 2 lowest" rhythm similar to jazz that becomes irresistible, aided at every step of the performance of Washington's dynamite, as it climbs a dialog similar to the lyric and reminds us again and again that it is so damn well in what it does.

Do I wish the "highest 2 lowest" to work better from start to end? I'm sure. They are harsh for the first 40 minutes, and I know that there is still the goods. It probably doesn't help that Kurosawa's original is the perfect movie that manages to make scenes of people sitting around in rooms more exciting than every chase than cars.

But regardless of the disadvantages of Lee's remake, the "Highest 2 Lowest" rise above her problems thanks to the inherent skill of the director and the invincible Washington charisma. For his whole declared greatness, David is a deep lack of man, and Washington only knows how to play it. One of the most narrative scenes theorize that in our modern world where something crazy is happening every day, the public will move on quickly and forget if Kyle is killed. Another sequence angrily indicates Trey who dared to raise his father's voice, just to show us David in his office, crumbling crying for the idea of releasing his son.

All this is a long -lasting way to me, saying I really want to see the action of Denzel Washington, a man. Today there is really no one like him on the screen, and I hope he and Lee are waiting for another 20 years before working together again. Even if they make another movie as a lack of "highest 2 lowest", I'm sure it will be a lot of fun to watch.

/Movie rating: 7 out of 10

The "Highest 2 Lowest" opened in selected theaters on August 15, 2025 before being transferred to Apple TV+ on September 5.