Denzel Washington & Spike Lee reunite in first look at Highest 2 Lowest

By Dan Girolamo Published May 5, 2025

Longtime collaborators Denzel Washington and Spike Lee have teamed up once again for Highest 2 Lowest, a new movie from A24 and Apple Original Films.

In the official teaser trailer, Washington’s music mogul character says in a voiceover, “There’s more to life than just making money.” The teaser then cuts to scenes from the New York City-based film, including a wide shot of the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a high-speed pursuit, gunshots, and a lot of money.

Washington’s character ends the teaser by saying, “That’s the question I have for you: Can you handle it? All money ain’t good money.”

Highest 2 Lowest is a modern reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller, High and Low, set in modern-day New York City. When Washington’s music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he faces a life-or-death moral dilemma.

Ilfenesh Hadera, Jeffrey Wright, Ice Spice, and ASAP Rocky also star.

Lee directs Highest 2 Lowest from a screenplay by William Alan Fox. Lee’s and Kurosawa’s films are inspired by King’s Ransom, a novel by Ed McBain (real name: Evan Hunter).

Highest 2 Lowest is the fifth collaboration between Washington and Lee and their first in nearly 20 years. Washington and Lee previously worked together on 1990’s Mo’ Better Blues, 1992’s Malcolm X, 1998’s He Got Game, and 2006’s Inside Man. With their proven track record, the proof is in the pudding — Washington and Lee only make good movies.

Before it hits theaters later this summer, Highest 2 Lowest will have its world premiere out of competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 19.

A24 will release Highest 2 Lowest in theaters on August 22. The crime thriller will then stream on Apple TV+ on September 5.