Spike Lee has released the first trailer for his A24 and Apple-backed crime thriller “Highest 2 Lowest” starring Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky, and more. The movie will be released in theaters August 22 and stream on Apple TV+ starting Sept. 5 after world premiering later this month at the Cannes Film Festival.
Written by William Alan Fox, “Highest 2 Lowest” is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” which follows a businessman deciding whether or not to use his wealth to further his career or save a child’s life. Both “Highest 2 Lowest” and “High and Low” are reinterpretations of Ed McBain’s mystery novel “The King’s Ransom.”
“One of the best things about film school is that you get introduced to world cinema, not just Hollywood,” Lee said about the film last year at the Red Sea Film Festival. “Seeing Kurosawa’s film ‘Rashomon’ and its structure inspired me to make ‘She’s Gotta Have It.’ In ‘Rashomon,’ you have three people who witness a rape, and each gives their own opinion of what happened. In ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ Nola Darling has three boyfriends who each see her in a different way. From the very beginning of my career, I was influenced by Kurosawa.”
The film marks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington. “I’m just glad we got five in,” Lee said of working with Washington. “Highest 2 Lowest” also stars Ilfenesh Hadera, Jeffrey Wright, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson and rapper Ice Spice.
The film, produced by A24, Escape Artists, Mandalay Pictures, 40 Acres and a Mule and Filmworks, began production in New York City and wrapped with cinematographer Matthew Libatique in May 2024.
Watch the trailer for “Highest 2 Lowest” below.
