Spike Lee directs Highest 2 Lowest from a screenplay by William Alan Fox, based on High and Low by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima, Eijiro Hisaita, and King’s Ransom by Evan Hunter. Highest 2 Lowest takes Kurosawa’s classic crime thriller to New York City and tells what happens when a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot.

Check out some of the first reactions from entertainment outlets in the Cannes crowd below:

According to Variety‘s Peter Debruge, Highest 2 Lowest brings Kurosawa’s classic crime thriller “to new highs, delivering a soul-searching genre movie that entertains while also sounding the alarm about where the culture could be headed.” Debruge says the film “isn’t so much a remake as a manifesto,” the “sensational third act more than justifies what might have seemed an unnecessary update.”

In contrast, Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent says, despite Washington’s history of playing flawed heroes with heart, the seasoned actor feels “wasted” in Highest 2 Lowest. According to Macnab, “his performance is vivid and wildly energetic, but ultimately short on emotional depth,” the reviewer says about Washington’s David King. “The problem is that even when King’s world threatens to crumble around him, he is never dragged that low. He’s always the alpha. We are not given much sense of inner turmoil or doubt.”

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian appears to have dug the film a great deal, saying Lee’s film is a “big, muscular picture which aspires to the crowd-pleasing athleticism of Spike Lee’s sport icons; it’s very enjoyable and there’s a great turn from Washington.”

Tim Grierson of Screen Daily says Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest is an “ambitious, thought-provoking” crime thriller. Unfortunately, Grierson says the film crumbles under its own weight. “Beyond the shaky character dynamics, the plotting often feels disjointed, despite a terrific action sequence that pays homage to a similarly riveting set piece in Kurosawa’s film,” Grierson says in his review. “But such moments are squandered in an overstuffed story that unconvincingly also wants to tackle the materialism in the hip-hop world and the scourge of social media. Ultimately, the picture’s energetic swirl comes across as slightly hollow, its barrage of themes and impulses never finding harmony.”

Gregory Ellwood from The Playlist says that despite its slow start and not being one of Lee’s most notable films, Highest 2 Lowest brings out the best in Washington. “It’s no shame that this thriller isn’t even in the top pantheon of Lee joints, as he refers to them. The man has some masterpieces on his resume. It might be in Washington’s, however. He’s so viscerally engaging that you want to see the movie again just to enjoy his performance. Is that a result of the collective experience of having the gang back together again? Or is Washington just on a roll?”

Regardless of critics’ opinions, we urge you to see Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest before giving a definitive verdict. After reading some of the above-listed quotes, are you still interested in seeing the film? Let us know in the comments section below.

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“This is a total surprise for me, so I’m emotional,” Washington said as part of his acceptance speech. “It’s a great opportunity to collaborate with my brother once again, brother from another mother, and to be here once again in Cannes. We’re a very privileged group in this room that we get to make movies and wear tuxedos and nice clothes and dress up and get paid for it as well. We’re just blessed beyond measure. I’m blessed beyond measure. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all.”

Spike Lee directs Highest 2 Lowest from a screenplay by William Alan Fox, based on High and Low by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima, Eijiro Hisaita, and King’s Ransom by Evan Hunter. Highest 2 Lowest takes Kurosawa’s classic crime thriller to New York City and tells the story of what happens when a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot.

Denzel Washington’s storied career includes knock-out roles in films like Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day, Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, Robert Zemeckis’s docudrama Flight, the Washington-directed period drama Fences, Jonathan Demme’s 1993 tear-jerker Philadelphia, and so much more. His next feature project includes a starring role in Fernando Meirelles’s Here Comes the Flood, an action thriller about a bank guard, a teller, and a master thief who become entangled in a deadly game.

We sincerely congratulate Mr. Denzel Washington on winning the Palme d’Or award at this year’s Cannes Festival. Throughout his career, Mr. Washington has given us countless outstanding performances, and we hope to enjoy his talent for years to come.

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