Money, power, and a moral crossroads.
The long-awaited reunion of director Spike Lee and Denzel Washington is finally here with the first trailer for Highest 2 Lowest, a modern reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime classic High and Low.
Set in the gritty streets of New York City, the film follows Washington as a powerful music mogul entangled in a high-stakes ransom plot—forcing him into a life-or-death moral dilemma.
The teaser, set to James Brown’s “The Big Payback,” oozes with Lee’s signature kinetic energy, blending rapid-fire shots of boardroom power plays, subway chases, and courtroom chaos.
Washington’s commanding voiceover asks, “Can you handle the mayhem? The money? The success? The failure?”—hinting at the film’s themes of ambition and consequence.
Adding to the hype, A$AP Rocky shines as Yung Felon, Washington’s on-screen son, holding his own against the Oscar winner in tense confrontations.
Meanwhile, Ice Spice makes her acting debut, though her role remains under wraps in the trailer. Rounding out the stellar cast are Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera, further elevating the film’s pedigree.
A joint production by A24 and Apple, Highest 2 Lowest premieres at Cannes this month before hitting theatres August 22 and streaming on Apple TV+ September 5.
For Lee and Washington—whose collaborations include Malcolm X and Inside Man—this marks a triumphant return to form, blending Kurosawa’s timeless tension with New York’s relentless pulse.
