Being from New York City is a badge of honor to the people who live there. If two people who grew up in Brooklyn realize they both grew up in the same area, you can watch as they begin a rapid-fire tirade of questions about whether the other person knows this street and that store. Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” explores this beloved city, from Brooklyn to the Bronx, with mixed results, achieving an aesthetically pleasing yet confusing thriller.
Denzel Washington is David King, a former giant in the music industry as the founder of “Stackin’ Hits” records. The film opens as he struggles to maintain a semblance of control over his once successful business as it now flounders, seeking to buy back his company before it is bought out by a rival. His business aspirations come to a screeching halt when his son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), is kidnapped and ransomed for 17.5 million Swiss Francs. The situation becomes morally convoluted when it is revealed that Kyle (Elijah Wright) — the son of King’s driver and right-hand man Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright) — was mistakenly kidnapped instead of Trey. King races to rescue Kyle while trying to save the business he loves.
While the plot sounds captivating, the execution falls short of its goals. Despite the high stakes of the situation, emotional depth is sorely lacking in the film. The camera cuts sporadically in a manner that disorients the viewer, making it feel less like intentionally unconventional camera angles and more like bad editing. For a movie centering on music and the music industry, the soundtrack feels out of place, ripped from a soaring progressive rock album from the early ’70s. This choice further disorients viewers from the action the music accompanies.
Despite the cast boasting two powerhouse actors — Washington and Jeffrey Wright — the movie’s dialogue feels forced and unconvincing. The story has the potential for great emotional retrospection, asking hard-hitting moral questions, but the acting fails to bring this depth to the audience. The script relegates Wright, a phenomenal actor, to a one-dimensional character of whom the audience does not get to see enough. His son is kidnapped, and while he is obviously distraught, the film sidelines him in favor of Washington. Some of the dialogue between King and Christopher is witty as they toss around rhymes and wordplay, but their conversations soon become stale and repetitive. Washington maintains an even-keeled performance, struggling to display any emotion that would hook the audience.
As a fan of A$AP Rocky and his music, it pains me to admit his role in this movie leaves much to be desired. He only appears for a brief moment toward the end of the movie, accompanied by psychedelic visuals that highlight his persona but fail to make a lasting impression. At one point, the movie turns into a glorified music video for his new song, “Trunks.” This had the potential to be a captivating moment, but the song possesses the same lackluster quality that plagues the entirety of the movie. Maybe he needs some more time before he releases the new album.
Despite the bashing in which I have indulged, I chose to give this movie three stars because it is still a solid watch for a lazy Sunday. It is by no means a movie that will have you coming back for more, but I’m not sad to have spent my time on it. The movie is ultimately purposed as a love letter to New York, and on that front it succeeds. The city is rendered beautifully, from the Puerto Rican Day Parade (Eddie Palmieri’s cameo single-handedly raised the rating) to King’s luxurious Dumbo penthouse, making the movie quite easy on the eyes. The movie has lots of potential that is never fulfilled, from the acting abilities of Washington and Wright to the music of A$AP Rocky, but if you find yourself looking for a way to shut off for a few hours and forget the pile of work you have to do, this is the movie for you.
