Highest 2 Lowest (2025) Review
Overview
When a titan music mogul, widely known as having the "best ears in the business", is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
R | US | 2h 13m | Thriller, Crime, and Drama
I couldn’t help but think about Denzel’s words while watching Highest 2 Lowest. This feels like a film where both he and Spike Lee are returning, championing, and warning the next generation.
“First part of your life you learn
Second part of your life you earn
Third part of your life you return”
-Denzel Washington
Spike Lee uses the first half of the movie to shape Denzel Washington into a music mogul who rules without compassion. Highest 2 Lowest follows a wealthy executive who has climbed to the top and now makes decisions solely to protect his own interests. He no longer has the passion for the craft he has spent so much time working toward because of wealth and status.
Midway through the story shifts into a high-stakes cat-and-mouse thriller across modern-day New York. Spike captures the heart of the city and what it means to truly be a New Yorker. We see his signature style on full display: fast paced dialogue, sharp humor, 4th wall breaks, rapid editing, and unapologetic Blackness.
“Not all money is good money.” That line is what as the film leans into a more spiritual resolution. Jeffrey Wright’s character turns toward the divine and by the end even Denzel’s character points to that symbolism. The final act feels like a prayer of a man who’s “had it all” realizing it’s time to return to what truly matters.
The message can verge on being preachy but often cuts deep into conversations about musical integrity, parasocial relationships, AI, wealth, and class. A$AP Rocky holds his own alongside Denzel, which makes me excited to see him in more roles. Jeffrey Wright anchors the film with a presence that’s simply incomparable. This might be Spike Lee at his most reflective, confronting the state of the world but also artistry. Don’t let the money change who you are.
