At 70, Denzel Washington has become the type of Hollywood living legend of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant or Steve McQueen. From supporting roles in A Soldier’s Story and as a regular cast member on St. Elsewhere as Dr. Philip Chandler through all six seasons, we saw early he was destined for stardom. I think it says a lot about his character as he stayed on the medical drama during its entire run when other actors would’ve walked away after a few years chasing more movie roles.
And when he did turn to movies full time, he knocked them out of the park with Glory and the underrated crime thriller The Mighty Quinn. He’s been one of the fewest actors I’ve seen who can do anything even though he stays away from comedies. Yet he does have a nice humorous side to him in his roles. He’s not afraid to play bad guys or stubborn flawed people. One of his first collaborators in movies was Spike Lee.
The two return in Highest 2 Lowest. It’s based on both King’s Ransom by Ed McBain and Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, an adaptation of that novel. Washington plays David King, a rich and prominent music mogul in New York City. As a major business deal is looming, David and his wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera), receive a phone call their son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph) has been kidnapped and they’re demanding $17.5 million. It just so happens that David has put up most of his personal assets, his penthouse and other collectibles as collateral for the business deal.
And everyone soon learns that the kidnappers goofed and mistakenly kidnapped Kyle Christopher (Elijah Wright), Trey’s friend. Kyle is also the son of David’s personal assistant and friend, Paul (Jeffrey Wright), who has a criminal past but has been reformed. David has a dilemma now. The kidnappers still want the same amount of money. As the news is made public, David struggles with how it will make him look to the press and public light if he doesn’t pay the ransom.
Yet at the same time, David could face a civil lawsuit and forfeiture of assets because the money was lending to him with the intention of securing his majority ownership in his company in order to keep it going to a rival. To the public, he would be a hero but he could lose all his money. What makes the movie work is the performances by both Washington and Wright. Also, Lee seems to be having some fun for the first time since his remake of Oldboy.
I know Lee has become a controversial filmmaker for his political views, but when he makes a movie like Oldboy or Inside Man or the uneven Summer of Sam, you can see how well of a filmmaker he can be. He also knows New York City. It’s his home, so he’s able to build a lively atmosphere. As David boards an elevated train to drop of the money, Nick Turturro, a Lee regular, plays a Yankees fan who leads the car in a chant, as they’re mostly on the way to see the Yankees/Red Sox game.
And of course, there’s no kidnapping ransom drop without a thrilling chase sequence as it occurs during Puerto Rican Day Parade and Celebration featuring the recently deceased musician Eddie Palmieri and Rosie Perez, another Lee regular. Lee also changes up the normal plot on where the movie goes in its final act. I have to laugh that Paul refers to his firearm as “Jake from State Farm” as Dean Withers, known for his role as “Mayhem” in the AllState commercials, is one of the detectives on the kidnapping case.
Of course, Lee’s biggest problem has always been his inabilities to quit out on top. This movie needs to be about 15 minutes shorter and the women characters seem to have nothing to do but Lee isn’t as bad as Tyler Perry. Lee’s had some ups and downs throughout the years. This is one of his most entertaining flicks in his 40 years of filmmaking thanks to the wonderful performances by Washington and Wright.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 