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Few actors in Hollywood have the magnetic presence and endurance of the one-and-only Denzel Washington. Celebrated for his distinctive vary and talent to fully rework himself for any position or undertaking, making him excellent to work with the good Spike Lee. Collectively, Washington and Lee have joined forces for 5 movies, kicking off their partnership in 1990 with Mo’ Higher Blues.

Over the following 35 years, the artistic duo would reunite for He Bought Recreation, Malcolm X, and Inside Man, with the upcoming crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest marking their most up-to-date collaboration. A contemporary-day reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Excessive and Low, the film is already garnering widespread reward from critics forward of its launch, a welcome triumph for a undertaking that took greater than three a long time to return to fruition. Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at what went on behind the scenes of Highest 2 Lowest and its grueling cinematic journey.

‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Lastly Escapes Growth Hell

Whereas it is stunning that it took 18 years for Lee and Washington to reunite professionally, what’s much more surprising is how lengthy the undertaking itself had been in improvement hell, as the movie’s roots hint again to 1990. On the time, Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet was tapped to pen a remake of the trailblazing Japanese basic Excessive and Low, which tells the story of a shoe government whose chauffeur’s son is mistakenly focused by kidnappers.

Excessive and Low was truly a unfastened adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom and is now considered one in all Akira Kurosawa’s biggest movies and an influential touchstone for police procedural cinema. Regardless of Mamet handing over just a few potential drafts, the undertaking by no means bought off the bottom and largely went dormant. Over time, distinguished filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, and Walter Salles have been all hooked up to direct at various factors. Mamet himself was even approached to write down a brand new script in 2009, together with comic extraordinaire Chris Rock, the next 12 months.

Nothing ever got here from these potential drafts, and the undertaking as soon as once more fizzled out for almost a decade. That’s, till Oscar-winner Spike Lee was despatched a script by Alan Fox earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic and started the rewriting course of after Washington agreed to star. Washington had lengthy been within the movie however felt it wanted to be given a contemporary makeover, and with powerhouse producer Jason Berman, author Fox, and Lee now within the combine, Highest 2 Lowest was lastly given some legs and was formally greenlit in February 2024. In an interview with IndieWire, Lee mentioned reuniting with Washington:

“So the dynamic duo bought again collectively. Denzel is the world’s biggest dwelling actor. My brother Martin Scorsese desires to say the identical factor about [Robert] De Niro. Kurosawa stated it about [Toshiro] Mifune. You had these relations the place a director and an actor construct a catalog of movies. And I am simply blessed to have the ability to do these 5 movies collectively.”

Lee & Washington Are Nonetheless the Good Pair

Regardless of taking greater than three a long time to premiere, it actually appears as if the wait was effectively price it for Highest 2 Lowest, judging by the rave evaluations the crime thriller is receiving forward of its official streaming debut. That includes a stacked ensemble solid led by Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky, the movie takes place within the streets of New York Metropolis the place music mogul David King is hailed as having the “finest ears within the enterprise” and lives like a king, having fastidiously constructed a profitable empire for his spouse, Pam, and his teenage son, Trey.

David’s seemingly impenetrable kingdom slowly begins to crumble as his label, Stackin’ Hits Information, is threatened by a possible merger. Issues then go from unhealthy to worse when Trey’s finest good friend, Kyle, is mistakenly kidnapped as a part of a ransom scheme, with the teenager additionally being the son of David’s shut confidante and chauffeur, Paul (Wright). Highest 2 Lowest explores the ethical dilemma David faces as he’s pressured to decide on between his household and his beloved label and legacy, with the movie brilliantly offering thought-provoking political and social commentary whereas additionally paying tribute to Black historical past and tradition (as Lee is revered for masterfully doing).

Audiences and critics are in settlement that Highest 2 Lowest is yet one more feather in each Lee and Washington’s spectacular caps, because the gifted duo appear to carry out the very best in each other with every collaboration. The engrossing movie at the moment has a 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 86% Popcornmeter rating from followers, and has garnered common reward for its soulful storytelling, trendy visuals, and, after all, Washington’s mesmerizing efficiency as a person torn between the 2 most necessary issues in his life: his household and music. RobertEbert.com counseled the revolutionary Lee of their rave evaluation of Highest 2 Lowest:

“Unabashedly epic, fearlessly humorous, and proudly Black, “Highest 2 Lowest” would possibly derive from a Japanese filmmaker. However its soul clearly resides in Lee.”

Stream Highest 2 Lowest on Apple TV+ on September 5.