Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

There are very few times, if any, when Spike Lee doesn't know exactly what he's doing. Whether you like or dislike any particular movie from him, it's impossible to come away from any of them still trying to figure out the point that he was making. I mean . . . I'm not including his remakes here, but that's only because I have yet to be brave enough to see how he handled Oldboy (although I did enjoy Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus). The point is that Lee has been a unique and brilliant cinematic voice for four decades now, and Highest 2 Lowest shows that he's far from done when it comes to grabbing viewers by the scruff of the next and forcing them to look at the very best and worst of humanity.

Based on a film by Akira Kurosawa, which was itself based on a novel, "King's Ransom", by Ed McBain, Highest 2 Lowest is the tale of David King (Denzel Washington). David is known to have the best ear in the music business, which is reflected in his status and wealth. It's a tricky time though, with King looking to rearrange finances to allow him to buy back a majority share in Stackin' Hits Records, which would stop a rival from swooping in. Things are made trickier by the fact that his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), is kidnapped by someone demanding a ransom of $17.5M. The kidnappers have the wrong victim though, having snatched Trey's good friend, Kyle (Elijah Wright), who is also the son of David's driver, Paul (Jeffrey Wright). That could save David a lot of money, although image is everything. Not to mention morality.

Lee and Washington working together again would have been enough to get me keen to see this, and Washington is as good as you think he will be, but the rest of the cast is just as appealing, and everyone seems to be bringing their A-game when selected to share the screen with the mighty Denzel. Jeffrey Wright has been delivering great performances for years, and he has the bonus in this feature of also sharing some screentime with his actual son portraying his onscreen son. Joseph does very good work as the son who knows when he can push his father a bit and when he has to stay quiet after making a point. Ilfenesh Hadera is Pam King, and is a graceful and calm presence at her husband's side, the main investigators of the kidnapping case are played by LaChanze, John Douglas Thompson, and Dean Winters, there's room for Wendell Pierce to pop in for a minute or two, and A$AP Rocky and Aiyana-Lee Anderson convince as two very different musicians ready to take our main character in two very different directions.

A portrait of a character, summing up their attitudes and attempts to push back against some of the vices of the modern world, and an entertaining crime thriller, Highest 2 Lowest is also, as has happened with other Spike Lee movies, a film that makes New York City feel like a main supporting character. From the opening shots, accompanied by "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'", to the literal journey that David King goes on while also moving through some distance internally, this is a New York movie, and there are times when it feels more like an audio-visual music video than a movie. That's no bad thing though, not when Lee just wants to share the joy of roaming through familiar streets with some classic tracks blasting from your speakers.

I've not seen the Kurosawa film, which I'm sure is a great film (because, well, KUROSAWA), nor have I read the McBain novel, but this seems like a fantastic way to interpret the core plot points from the source material. It feels more like a funky remix than a slavish remake, and the main battle that we see in the third act is obviously the main point of interest for Lee. It's old vs. new, it's instant gratification vs. hard work and paying dues, it's (sometimes) visionary artists vs. a system that makes it all too easy to put the business side ahead of the art. The soundtrack choices alone earn a bonus point from me.

9/10

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Till (2022)

I am not sure why I have recently decided to put myself through the emotional wringer. I think it just happens during the time of year that is labelled “awards season”, forcing me to go out of my way to watch movies that I hope will be worthwhile, even as I worry about feeling drained by the time the end credits roll.

As much as I like to avoid spoilers, Till is based on a real incident that eventually, decades later, led to the creation of a law named after young Emmet Till. So I am going to specify that incident. Now. Here is your last chance to look away, if you have so far remained unaware of the case of Emmett Till.

Emmett Till was an African American boy who was abducted, tortured, and lynched for offending a Whyte woman in Mississippi. He was fourteen years old. It was sadly obvious from the outset that the jury would vote one way when the case went to court, but that didn’t stop Emmett’s mother from campaigning for change, for some good to come out of the horrendous murder of her baby boy.

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, who is someone new to me (although I really want to see her previous feature, Clemency), this is a film that uses a factual event to underline how dangerous and unwelcoming many parts of the USA can be to black people. It may be a period piece, but seeing how slowly anything changes, and seeing parallels in the news today to show how many things have stayed the same, makes it horribly relevant. It is a potent reminder of how the imbalance in modern society has been set up over decades and centuries of prejudice and abuse.

Chukwu also worked on the script, alongside Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp (the latter having also directed a documentary on Emmett Till back in 2005), and the focus stays on the death of Emmett, and the subsequent court case. That’s a smart move, allowing viewers to see the butterfly effect of Emmett’s death, and providing a valuable opportunity to show the real courage of those who decided to speak up in the face of overwhelming odds, and risking their own lives to do so.

The cast all do their bit to elevate the material, and I will now be keeping my eyes peeled for whatever a couple of them do next. Jalynn Hall is as lovely as he needs to be in the role of young Emmett, his more childish moments all the more poignant while we await his fate. Whoopi Goldberg does good work in the role of a caring grandmother, and Frankie Faison, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tosin Cole, and John Douglas Thompson are a number of different men who play varyingly important roles in the life of Emmett and/or his mother. Haley Bennett is the woman who claims that young Emmett mistreated her, and she is duly viewed as a major villain by those who know the truth of the matter. I have omitted one notable name, and that is Danielle Deadwyler, in the role of Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. Deadwyler is consistently great here, often remaining composed, determined, and mindful of the perception of onlookers while others start to have doubts about the path they are set on. There’s one display of grief here that is heart-wrenching, and it is that moment that made me determined to watch more work from Deadwyler, who gives the kind of powerful performance that should affect everyone who sees it.

Till works exactly how it is supposed to work, and I think that is at least partly tied to the fact that it presupposes viewers having knowledge of how things play out. Highly recommended, and it should be mandatory viewing for idiots who say “all lives matter”, conveniently forgetting the slavery, abuse, legal wranglings, and deaths that brought us to the here and now.

8/10

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