Apple Original Films and A24 have just dropped the trailer for the latest Spike Lee joint, Highest 2 Lowest. The highly anticipated thriller marks the
Apple Original Films and A24 have just dropped the trailer for the latest Spike Lee joint, Highest 2 Lowest. The highly anticipated thriller marks the fifth collaboration between Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Lee, and offers a fresh, dynamic reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low — now set in the bold, brash world of the New York music industry. Premiering in theaters August 22, with a streaming debut on Apple TV+ September 5, Highest 2 Lowest follows Washington as David King, a legendary music mogul with the “best ears in the business.” When his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped in a plot intended to target him, King is forced into a spiraling moral dilemma that puts his values, his empire, and his very identity on the line.
The trailer — also showcasing original music from A$AP Rocky — offers the first true look at what Lee has described as a “morally supercharged caper with rhythm.” A$AP Rocky co-stars as Yung Felon, a youthful rapper whose explosive confrontation with King leads to one of the film’s most electric showdowns. The supporting cast also includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, Ice Spice, and more. It’s been nearly 20 years since Spike and Denzel teamed up on Inside Man, and by all accounts, this one was worth the wait. Washington is a showman at his best here, full of fire and swagger, but you also feel every ounce of the pressure he’s under.
Who Else Is Involved in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’?
Directed by Lee and written by Alan Fox with Lee, Highest 2 Lowest is based loosely on Kurosawa’s original film (itself adapted from Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom). Where the 1963 classic leaned into police procedural drama and class commentary, Lee’s version strikes a more frenetic tone — full of color, tension, and theatricality.
In this retelling, the moral dilemma still looms gigantic: Should King sacrifice part of his wealth to save a child who isn’t his own — even if that child is like family? But the answers are refracted through the lens of celebrity, capitalism, and a music industry increasingly shaped by algorithms over artistry.
Highest 2 Lowest clocks in at 134 minutes and is rated R. The film made its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where early reactions praised Washington’s “lyrical” performance and Lee’s energetic direction, even if some critics noted the film’s thematic focus was looser than Kurosawa’s original.
Highest 2 Lowest will arrive in theaters on August 22 and on Apple TV+ on September 5.
Highest 2 Lowest
Release Date
August 15, 2025
Runtime
133 minutes
Writers
Alan Fox, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima, Eijirō Hisaita, Evan Hunter
Producers
Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman
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