Apple and A24 have released the official trailer for Highest 2 Lowest, a crime thriller that brings Denzel Washington and filmmaker Spike Lee (Inside Man, Malcolm X) back together after nearly two decades. Watch the trailer above and read on for more.
Washington stars as David King, a music industry giant known for his unmatched instincts—“the best ears in the business.” When his son is kidnapped and held for ransom, King is forced into a high-pressure decision that could cost more than just money.
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Jeffrey Wright co-stars as Paul, King’s driver and close confidante, while Ilfenesh Hadera plays Pam, King’s wife. A$AP Rocky appears as Yung Felon, an ambitious rapper trying to break into King’s orbit.
Highest 2 Lowest is a contemporary reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, which was based on the 1959 novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain. Lee’s version moves the action to present-day New York City, swapping corporate boardrooms for the music industry, and shifting social dynamics in the process.
The film had its premiere out of competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, 36 years after Lee’s Do the Right Thing made its debut at the same event. It saw positive reviews out of the festival and currently stands with an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics.
The creative team here includes cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Black Swan), editor Barry Alexander Brown (BlacKkKlansman), and composer Howard Drossin (The Protector). Producers include Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman, and Katia Washington.
Highest 2 Lowest opens in U.S. cinemas on August 15 and begins streaming globally on Apple TV+ from September 5.
