{"id":134280,"date":"2025-05-20T11:57:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/spike-lee-discusses-highest-2-lowest-and-denzel-washington\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T11:57:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:57:54","slug":"spike-lee-discusses-highest-2-lowest-and-denzel-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/spike-lee-discusses-highest-2-lowest-and-denzel-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Spike Lee Discusses ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ and Denzel Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Spike Lee Returns to Cannes with \u2018Highest 2 Lowest\u2019<\/h2>\n

This morning, acclaimed filmmaker **Spike Lee** walked into the press conference room at the **Cannes Film Festival** and humorously reflected on his previous experience in 2021, when he mistakenly announced the Palme d’Or winner early. \u201cThe last time I was in this room, I was apologizing for the f*ck-up,\u201d he remarked, lightening the mood as he prepared to discuss his latest project.<\/p>\n

A Modern Twist on a Classic<\/h2>\n

Lee is back in Cannes with his new film, **Highest 2 Lowest**, a modern **reinterpretation** of **Akira Kurosawa\u2019s 1963 classic** film **High and Low**. Kurosawa\u2019s original tale revolves around a shoe company executive who falls victim to a kidnapping plot, where his chauffeur\u2019s son is mistakenly taken. In Lee’s contemporary version, set in **New York City**, the narrative follows a **music mogul**, played by **Denzel Washington**, who faces a similar extortion scheme.<\/p>\n

A Legendary Collaboration<\/h2>\n

Reuniting Lee and Washington marks their first collaboration since **Inside Man** back in 2006, bringing their total collaborations to five, including iconic films like **Mo\u2019 Better Blues**, **Malcolm X**, and **He Got Game**. Lee expressed surprise at the 18-year gap since their last film. \u201cDenzel and I didn\u2019t know that our previous film was 18 years ago. We were surprised because it felt like yesterday. But we didn\u2019t miss a step,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n

36 Years Since \u2018Do the Right Thing\u2019<\/h2>\n

This year marks Lee\u2019s sixth time presenting a film in the **Cannes Official Selection**, with the premiere of **Highest 2 Lowest** coinciding with the 36th anniversary of his debut with **Do the Right Thing**. During the press conference, Lee was queried about the **initial critical response** to that film, particularly accusations that it would incite riots. \u201cI\u2019ve had a great experience with this festival,\u201d he noted, highlighting that the backlash was largely from critics rather than the festival itself.<\/p>\n

A Commentary on Racism<\/h2>\n

Lee recalled the misguided fears surrounding **Do the Right Thing**. Commenting on statements from critics who claimed that the film would provoke violence among Black audiences, he asserted, \u201cIt was pure blatant racism to suggest Black people couldn\u2019t make the distinction between what\u2019s on the screen.\u201d He expressed disappointment that critics did not acknowledge their misjudgment regarding the film\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n

Filming in New York City<\/h2>\n

**Highest 2 Lowest** was shot across various locations in New York, including thrilling action scenes set against the iconic backdrop of **Yankee Stadium**. During the press conference, Lee addressed the recent decline in film productions in the city. \u201cPeople are hurting, people whose lives are dependent on working in the film industry,\u201d he stated, adding that he was unsure of how to resolve the issue despite former President **Donald Trump’s** statements about tariffs on foreign films.<\/p>\n

Refusing to Leave New York<\/h2>\n

Expressing his commitment to shooting in his hometown, Lee recounted how he faced pressure to relocate his projects outside of New York. He firmly rejected suggestions to film **Do the Right Thing** in **Baltimore**, stating, \u201cGet the f*ck outta here. We were never doing that.\u201d His defiance in this regard underscores his dedication to authentically representing New York City in his films.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Release Dates<\/h2>\n

Set to premiere in select theaters on **August 22**, followed by its availability on **Apple TV+** on **September 5**, **Highest 2 Lowest** is co-written by **Alan Fox** and Lee himself. The film is produced by **Todd Black** for **Escape Artists**, and includes a robust team of executive producers. This includes Lee\u2019s own production company, **40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks**, along with contributions from **Mandalay Pictures**, **Juniper Productions**, and several individual co-producers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Magazine – 8<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spike Lee Returns to Cannes with \u2018Highest 2 Lowest\u2019 This morning, acclaimed filmmaker **Spike Lee** walked into the press conference room at the **Cannes Film Festival** and humorously reflected on his previous experience in 2021, when he mistakenly announced the Palme d’Or winner early. \u201cThe last time I was in this room, I was apologizing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}