Highest 2 Lowest review: Trailer’s Promise (and Trailer Questions) in 5 Trailer Beats
When that explosive trailer for Highest 2 Lowest drops with Denzel Washington’s commanding line “Wake up y’all, the king’s here”—followed by A$AP Rocky’s confrontational “I ain’t trying to go back and do another bid”—this Highest 2 Lowest review has one burning question: can this Spike Lee-Denzel reunion deliver on nearly 20 years of anticipation?
Table of Contents
What the Trailer Promises (THE “HIGHEST”)
Washington’s opening declaration—”There’s more to life than just making money. There’s integrity. There’s what you stand for”—immediately establishes the moral stakes that’ll drive this 2025 thriller. This isn’t just another kidnapping movie—it’s a meditation on values wrapped in neon-lit NYC chaos.
Next comes the showstopper: that first glimpse of A$AP Rocky as Yung Felon facing off with Washington’s music mogul David King. Spike Lee confirmed Rocky “goes toe-to-toe” with Denzel, and the trailer delivers exactly that explosive energy. Their dynamic feels like father-son tension cranked to 11, with Rocky holding his ground against one of cinema’s greatest actors.
The visual feast follows—Manhattan subway platforms, ransom demands delivered via “all black Jordan backpack,” and those signature Spike Lee neon-soaked storefronts that scream gritty NYC filmmaking. Every frame screams this is Lee returning to his Do the Right Thing roots, just with higher stakes and a $17.5 million price tag.
What the Trailer Leaves Unanswered (The “LOWEST”)
The rapid-fire editing feels intentionally jagged—but will that frantic pace sustain a 133-minute runtime?Some cuts feel almost too abrupt, making you wonder if Lee’s trademark kinetic energy might work against the slow-burn tension that made Kurosawa’s original so masterful.
Ice Spice pops up in casting announcements and first-look photos, but she’s completely absent from this trailer. Is her role as Marisol Cepeda just a cameo, or are we looking at a major subplot that Lee’s keeping under wraps? For someone making her acting debut in a Spike Lee joint, that absence feels deliberate—and mysterious.
The trailer hints at A$AP’s character driving the ransom plot, but offers zero context for his motivations beyond “I got to feed the streets, my lady, and a newborn kid.”1 What’s Yung Felon’s real connection to David King? The setup feels loaded with backstory the trailer won’t reveal.
Quick Facts Sidebar
| Info | Detail |
|---|---|
| World premiere (Cannes) | May 19, 2025, premiered Out of Competition |
| Theatrical release (U.S.) | August 15, 2025 (limited), expanding August 22 nationwide via A24 |
| Streaming (Apple TV+) | September 5, 2025—exclusive to U.S. subscribers initially |
| Spike & Denzel reunion | Their 5th collaboration since Inside Man (2006) |
| Based on | Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963), reimagined in NYC’s music industry |
Highest 2 Lowest review – Trailer Breakdown: Promise vs. Danger
This trailer walks a tightrope between honoring Kurosawa’s psychological thriller and delivering pure Spike Lee energy. The promise? Washington and Rocky’s electric chemistry, plus Lee’s unmatched ability to capture NYC’s messy rhythms. The danger? That this ambitious “reinterpretation” might collapse under the weight of trying to be both a crime thriller and a manifesto about Black artistry in modern America.
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Early Cannes reactions praised Washington’s “lyrical” performance and Lee’s energetic direction, earning the film an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. But some critics noted the film’s “thematic focus was looser than Kurosawa’s original”—exactly what this trailer suggests.
Does this trailer deliver the Spike Lee-style moral tension you crave? Will you catch it in theaters August 15—or wait to stream September 5 on Apple TV+?
