Denzel Washington and Spike Lee Reunite in Electrifying Highest 2 Lowest Trailer

After nearly two decades apart, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are back with a vengeance. The dynamic duo behind cinematic classics like Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man have joined forces once again for Highest 2 Lowest, a high-stakes kidnapping thriller set in the heart of New York City. The film hits theaters on August 15, followed by its streaming debut on Apple TV+ on September 5.

Highest 2 Lowest is a modern reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low, itself inspired by Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom. In this latest adaptation, Denzel Washington stars as a powerful music mogul whose life spirals into chaos when his son is kidnapped and held for a hefty ransom of $17.5 million.

The trailer, released by A24 and Apple, sets the tone for an intense, adrenaline-fueled narrative. It opens with Denzel Washington’s character basking in his luxurious lifestyle before receiving a chilling phone call: his son, played by A$AP Rocky, has been taken. The kidnapper’s demand triggers a tense game of cat and mouse that plays out across the gritty streets of NYC.

“I know what it is to risk everything you have for something that you want,” Denzel Washington says in the trailer, delivering a line that encapsulates the film’s emotional core.

A$AP Rocky plays Denzel Washington’s son, marking one of the rapper’s most significant acting roles to date. Their on-screen chemistry brings a visceral father-son dynamic, a casting choice Spike Lee has described as serendipitous. “I’ve always thought A$AP looked like he could be Denzel’s son,” Spike Lee said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “When you see them on-screen together, it just clicks.”

 

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The film also features a stellar supporting cast, including Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Ice Spice, Dean Winters, and John Douglas Thompson.

Debuting out of competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Highest 2 Lowest marks Spike Lee’s sixth official selection at Cannes and the 36th anniversary of his debut with Do The Right Thing.

At Cannes, Spike Lee hinted Highest 2 Lowest could be his final collaboration with Denzel Washington, citing their body of work together. “Five films, they stand up,” he remarked, adding to the film’s emotional weight.

Denzel Washington, fresh off a record-breaking run on Broadway playing Othello opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, brings gravitas and intensity that anchors the film’s suspenseful narrative.

Highest 2 Lowest is produced by Escape Artists, Mandalay Pictures, and Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, with a script penned by Alan Fox. The film promises a blend of taut action, layered performances, and socio-political commentary—hallmarks of Lee’s filmmaking.