Glorious and messy, 'Highest 2 Lowest' is a Spike Lee joint of the first order

By Justin Chang

Published August 15, 2025 at 2:00 AM PDT

Denzel Washington plays a New York City music mogul whose teenage son becomes the target of a kidnapping plot. The movie is a remake of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa classic, High and Low.

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Justin Chang

Justin Chang is a film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Fresh Air, and a regular contributor to KPCC's FilmWeek. He previously served as chief film critic and editor of film reviews for Variety.

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