Remakes of traditional films are sometimes a really dangerous gamble. The unique film has a religious following who’re extremely essential of any makes an attempt to money in on the success of that movie. However when it pays off, it pays off large. That is precisely what Spike Lee realized when he remade one of many best films of all time, Akira Kurosawa’s Excessive and Low. After its restricted theatrical launch, Lee’s model, titled Highest 2 Lowest, is now streaming on Apple TV+, and, in step with the good evaluations the movie obtained from critics, it’s discovering numerous success on its new streaming residence.
Highest 2 Lowest is now streaming on Apple TV+, and subscribers are obsessive about Spike Lee’s newest joint. The movie is presently the most well-liked film on Apple TV+. A contemporary re-imagining of Kurosawa’s traditional, the movie stars Denzel Washington as David King, a titan within the music trade who turns into embroiled in a ransom plot with life or loss of life penalties. The movie takes the final plot construction of Excessive and Low and brings the story to New York Metropolis, with a solid that features Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, and Aubrey Joseph.
Highest 2 Lowest was launched in theaters for 2 weeks to qualify for the key 2026 awards ceremonies. Throughout its theatrical run, the movie earned nice evaluations from critics and audiences. Critics bestowed the movie with an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was additionally a uncommon occasion of audiences agreeing with the critics, because it holds an 86% viewers rating. Of their assessment for MovieWeb, critic Julian Roman praised Highest 2 Lowest as nothing in need of Oscar-worthy. They wrote:
“Denzel Washington provides an Oscar-caliber efficiency in Highest 2 Lowest, his fifth collaboration with director Spike Lee. As a strong music govt going through a lethal ethical dilemma, Washington travels from dazzling penthouse heights to gritty housing tasks in an city replace of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 traditional Excessive and Low, itself an adaptation of the novel “King’s Ransom” by Evan Hunter. The movie lives as much as its title, intermittently squandering sensible character improvement and pressure with uneven pacing.”
Spike Lee Lastly Lands With a Remake of a Traditional Film
When followers of Kurosawa’s Excessive and Low realized {that a} remake was within the works, all of them cringed with concern. Once they then realized that Spike Lee can be overseeing the remake, that concern and nervousness doubled. Spike Lee is likely one of the most famous filmmakers working right this moment, answerable for hits like Malcolm X (additionally starring Denzel Washington), She’s Gotta Have It, and BlacKKKlansman. However he does not have the most effective monitor document with regards to remakes.
In 2013, Lee launched his model of Oldboy, primarily based on Park Chan-wook’s traditional South Korean thriller. Lee’s Oldboy was slated by critics, holding a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The overall consensus agreed that Lee misunderstood what made the movie so nice. Fortunately, he realized his lesson forward of Highest 2 Lowest.
Highest 2 Lowest
- Launch 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