Highest 2 Lowest

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1:52

Highest 2 Lowest

R

2025

2h 13m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

231 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Verified Ratings

When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), 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. Brothers Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the 5th in their long working relationship for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City.

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Critics Consensus

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington remix a classic with vibrantly contemporary results in Highest 2 Lowest, a swaggering thriller that lovingly showcases New York City.

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Audience Says

Spike and Denzel are the lean, mean engine behind Highest 2 Lowest, a cultural gem that cruises through the heart of New York City blasting cool tunes and delivering an unforgettable ride that’s got soul, style, and swagger.

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Christina Newland

Sight & Sound

Nov 4

With Highest 2 Lowest, the results are uneven, but magical all the same.

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Craig Mathieson

The Age (Australia)

Sep 18

3/5

The moral twists that follow...have a simmer, but as soon as the plot moves onto the city’s streets the energy, in both the performances and Lee’s almost joyous camera moves, goes up a satisfying notch.

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Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Sep 15

3/4

Hard to put it in a box. It’s got weak and strong elements. But once it ends, you realize that you’ve just been entertained.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

6h

It reminded me of Ron Howard’s under-rated 1996 Mel Gibson-starrer Ransom, with its flawed protagonist and shifting sympathies, while Washington and Wright bring both gravitas and complexity to their characters and key relationship.

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Armond White

National Review

Dec 20

Lee has no interest in portraying the reality of black American economics but misreads the black bourgeoisie in terms of his own partisanship.

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Elissa Suh

Moviepudding (Substack)

Dec 11

Spike Lee’s remake of Kurosawa’s High and Low has that distinct feel of a "late" film, the kind a great director makes on autopilot: pleasant enough, competent enough, but strangely limp.

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J. King

6d

D. W. was spectator as usual. He truly played a non-traditional role that demonstrates his versatility!

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Tommy H

Oct 25

not bad, but not great

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lupe V

Oct 12

I enjoy this movie, especially because it is a true story in life

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BoLo

Sep 25

I loved how the movie showed how a good man living his dream is willing to risk it all for a friend and relationship with his own son.

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Bryan

Sep 24

Thought provoking, great horror movie

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Gray

Sep 21

A great mystery with action. Denzel and Jeffery never disappoint.

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Highest 2 Lowest: Trailer 1

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Highest 2 Lowest: Teaser

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Synopsis

When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), 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. Brothers Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the 5th in their long working relationship for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City.

Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman
Screenwriter: Alan Fox
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24, Escape Artists, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Mandalay Pictures, Apple Original Films
Rating: R (Brief Drug Use|Language Throughout)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 15, 2025, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 5, 2025
Runtime: 2h 13m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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