An immersive cultural and musical exploration of a man’s limits

Highest 2 Lowest Movie Review:

David King (Denzel Washington), after being pushed to the limits, turns to his music idols, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin, to decide if he should pay the ransom to rescue his godson, who is wrongly kidnapped. David wants to preserve his legacy, protect his family, and safeguard his future, all of which are in jeopardy as a result of the kidnapping. Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest portrays an episode of a music mogul’s life, which puts everything he cares about at stake, in the form of a safe and culturally immersive drama, starring an ever-charismatic Denzel Washington.

Film: Highest 2 Lowest

Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, John Douglas Thompson, ASAP Rocky

Washington brings his trademark swagger to portray David King, a music label owner, who is on the cusp of making a deal that will secure his future. Known as someone with “the best ears in business,” David has dedicated his life to supporting talented artists. However, when his close friend and right-hand, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright), asks David to provide $17.5 million, the same amount of money that will help David to gain decisive control of his own record, David ponders if he has given too much. David is hesitant to pay the ransom and even fights with Paul about the same. In these key moments, Washington assumes the form of a man with a lot of weight on his shoulders, with a focused performance that makes you forget the actor.