Spike Lee on Highest 2 Lowest and money

Editorial analysis of Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest, a Brooklyn set drama that probes money, art, and Black identity.

Spike Lee Reframes Morals and Wealth in Highest 2 Lowest

Spike Lee sits in a Fort Greene office discussing Highest 2 Lowest, his 25th feature. The Brooklyn set drama reimagines Kurosawa’s High and Low as a high gloss crime tale that also digs into wealth, fame and artistry. The film stars Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright and follows a music executive drawn into extortion and a kidnapping plot. It blends a stylish, city-driven mood with a hard look at how money influences power. The project hits theaters on August 15 and arrives on Apple TV+ over Labor Day weekend, a release strategy that mirrors today’s streaming era while preserving a premium cinema experience. The interview highlights Lee’s long collaboration with Washington and his ongoing interest in balancing spectacle with moral questions. On screen, the film includes a subway chase and a splash of cultural flavor from music and rap, all set against New York’s urban current.

Lee stresses that his audience spans generations and backgrounds, and he argues that trust and love form the base of his work with Washington. The conversation touches on industry structure and the role of independent cinema as a pathway to distribution when traditional routes falter. Lee compares his partnership with Washington to a coach and star duo, a dynamic built on respect and shared purpose. He also touches political and cultural issues, including a critique of attempts to rewrite history through national education policy. The interview mingles sports memories and film lore as Lee catalogs his creative influences and the stubborn persistence of Black artistry in a changing entertainment landscape.

Lee’s career is shown here as a track of persistence and reinvention. He positions Highest 2 Lowest not just as a crime drama but as a case study in how money tests ethical lines, especially for Black artists navigating a lucrative industry. The piece underlines a key trend in modern cinema: big productions can still carry intimate cultural questions when driven by trusted collaborations and a clear moral center. By foregrounding independent cinema as a viable distribution path, Lee hints at a broader shift in the industry where artists seek both creative control and audience reach outside traditional gatekeeping.

The interview also connects Spike Lee’s work to a wider cultural moment. The blend of music, sport, and urban politics inside a glossy crime narrative signals how Black storytelling now travels across platforms, audiences, and genres. Lee’s push for universal accessibility — making films for everyone — sits alongside a insistence on political honesty, even when that honesty invites controversy. The result is a portrait of an artist who remains provocative yet practical, insisting that art should challenge as it entertains, and that collaboration with trusted partners can outlast the noise of the moment.

Highlights

Art and money will keep shaping Spike Lee’s next moves.