Remakes of classic movies are often a very risky gamble. The original movie has a devout following who are highly critical of any attempts to cash in on the success of that film. But when it pays off, it pays off big. That’s exactly what Spike Lee learned when he remade one of the greatest movies of all time, Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. After its limited theatrical release, Lee’s version, titled Highest 2 Lowest, is now streaming on Apple TV+, and, in line with the great reviews the film received from critics, it is finding a lot of success on its new streaming home.
Highest 2 Lowest is now streaming on Apple TV+, and subscribers are obsessed with Spike Lee’s latest joint. The film is currently the most popular movie on Apple TV+. A modern re-imagining of Kurosawa’s classic, the film stars Denzel Washington as David King, a titan in the music industry who becomes embroiled in a ransom plot with life or death consequences. The film takes the general plot structure of High and Low and brings the story to New York City, with a cast that includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, and Aubrey Joseph.
Highest 2 Lowest was released in theaters for two weeks to qualify for the major 2026 awards ceremonies. During its theatrical run, the film earned great reviews from critics and audiences. Critics bestowed the film with an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also a rare instance of audiences agreeing with the critics, as it holds an 86% audience score. In their review for MovieWeb, critic Julian Roman praised Highest 2 Lowest as nothing short of Oscar-worthy. They wrote:
“Denzel Washington gives an Oscar-caliber performance in Highest 2 Lowest, his fifth collaboration with director Spike Lee. As a powerful music executive facing a deadly moral dilemma, Washington travels from dazzling penthouse heights to gritty housing projects in an urban update of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low, itself an adaptation of the novel “King’s Ransom” by Evan Hunter. The film lives up to its title, intermittently squandering brilliant character development and tension with uneven pacing.”
Spike Lee Finally Lands With a Remake of a Classic Movie
When fans of Kurosawa’s High and Low learned that a remake was in the works, they all cringed with fear. When they then learned that Spike Lee would be overseeing the remake, that fear and anxiety doubled. Spike Lee is one of the most renowned filmmakers working today, responsible for hits like Malcolm X (also starring Denzel Washington), She’s Gotta Have It, and BlacKKKlansman. But he doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to remakes.
In 2013, Lee released his version of Oldboy, based on Park Chan-wook’s classic South Korean thriller. Lee’s Oldboy was slated by critics, holding a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus agreed that Lee misunderstood what made the film so great. Thankfully, he learned his lesson ahead of Highest 2 Lowest.
Highest 2 Lowest
- Release Date
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August 15, 2025
- Runtime
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133 minutes
- Writers
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Alan Fox, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima, Eijirō Hisaita, Evan Hunter
- Producers
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Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman
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