When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
Audiences may not know what to make of “Highest 2 Lowest,” Spike Lee’s remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic noir “Highest and Lowest” based on Evan Hunter’s novel “King’s Ransom” (under the pen name Ed McBain), first published in 1959. The stark images and heart-pounding music of the original crime thriller are far more compelling than the comparatively laid-back approach inexplicably taken by Lee. However, while Kurosawa’s film was set in Yokohama, Lee has brought the setting back to New York, similar to the book, and to good effect. In short, the production consists of a mixed bag.
The story starts with David King (Denzel Washington) mulling the sale of his minority stake in the record company he founded years ago, which has seen better days. His fellow board member, Patrick Bethea (Michael Potts), warns that the payday would be a big one for a firm barely breaking even, but King is leaning toward using his assets to buy a controlling interest in the business and revitalize it. His wife Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera) is less enthusiastic about taking on such a risk that would consume her husband and their family. King’s success over the years is glaringly apparent, as he makes record deals from a penthouse balcony overlooking the breathtaking skyline of New York City – impressive during the day and even more so at night.
King’s best friend and driver, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright), an ex-convict now a devout Muslim, accompanies his boss everywhere. Christopher’s son Kyle (Elijah Wright) and Trey King (Aubrey Joseph) are best friends as well, both playing on the same basketball team.
Things start to go awry when David receives an anonymous call that his son has been kidnapped. The terms of the 14-million-dollar payment demanded prove interesting from a logistical standpoint. To reduce the size of the package, the ransom must be paid in Swiss francs instead of U.S. dollars. While roughly similar in value (one Swiss franc is worth about USD$1.25), U.S. dollars only go up to denominations of one hundred, while francs go up to one thousand. When David starts the process of putting together the payment, his son Trey unexpectedly emerges from the streets unharmed. It turns out that the kidnapper, Yung Felon (A$AP Rocky) – an aspiring musical artist vying for attention from David – mistakenly abducted Kyle instead of Trey.
The situation puts David in a quandary, as he must now decide whether to use the ransom money to fund his record company buyout or alternatively pay off the kidnappers to save his friend’s son, Kyle. For what would seem like a no-brainer, David agonizes over the choice for some time – even consulting with autographed photos of famous soul singers adorning his lavish home office.
After David uncovers a promising lead that could help locate the kidnappers, the police show little interest, so he does some sleuthing on his own. With surprisingly little tension or aggravation, David tracks down Yung Felon in a recording studio and confronts him, leading to an anticlimactic chase on a train.
Spike Lee, who directed the exceptionally fine “Inside Man,” also starring Denzel Washington, appears to channel some of the mood of that previous production’s score into this latest outing, but the results are uneven. Though “Highest 2 Lowest” offers an interesting premise and solid source material, the film lacks enough suspense to maintain a consistent momentum and ranks as one of Lee’s lesser efforts.
In Theaters Friday, August 15th, and streaming on Apple TV+ September 5th
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