Highest 2 Lowest (2025) review

Mr. Lee's adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's film High and Low - which, ironically, was based on a novel by Ed McBain, an American writer - involves music executive David King (Denzel Washington) trying to take full control of his company, Stackin' Hits Records, but his plan hits a snag once Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of his best friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright), as well as his own kid Trey (Aubrey Joseph) are kidnapped and the ransom (over $17m) is exorbitant and would decimate him financially.  Although it's somewhat dramatically stagnant (when not racing around the NYC streets during National Puerto Rican Day), the performances are a little shaky (A$AP Rocky, who plays the villain, is a better rapper than actor), and Howard Drossin's ubiquitous score may not be for all ears, it at least attempts to touch on 21st century issues, particularly the way social media dictates how we live our lives and the unfortunate fact that "getting attention" is the only thing that "truly matters" nowadays.  Lee may be in his late sixties, but there's still a warm eccentricity to his output which is unmatched by most up-and-comers: he genuinely respects the medium and relishes the opportunity to tell a story his own way.