Spike Lee tackles two very difficult themes with Denzel Washington starring in this film as an homage to Kurosawa’s 1963 High and Low he’s been trying to reimagine for 19 years. It sets up a kidnap caper starting with a call no parent every wants to hear. It results in the quandary of doing what’s morally right or to save a professional legacy. This is the 5th collaboration for Lee and Washington and the first since Inside Man. Their motto while working on projects together is always “Let’s get to work.” You’ll notice a number of Easter Eggs that pop up in this movie. They did work hard on this one.
David King (Washington) is the head of Stackin’ Hits records. He’s a music business mogul with “the best ears in the business,” but the business is in flux. He wants to keep control rather than sell to a conglomerate that will sell AI music under his label. The opening scenes and a schmaltzy rendition of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” show how lucrative his business has been with cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s exquisite shots of the skyline and his Manhattan penthouse apartment.
Getting ready for school and work, is his gorgeous wife (Ilfenesh Hadera – Godfather of Harlem, The Equalizer) and teenage son, Trey, (Aubrey Joseph) who can’t put his cell phone down. Father and son get into it over Trey trying get his Dad to listen to a song and singer he likes. But Dad is too preoccupied with a pivotal business deal to listen. King was going to stay to watch Trey and his best friend Kyle (Elijah Wright) at school basketball practice, but he disappoints the boy, leaving right away. Kyle is the son of David’s chauffeur and lifelong friend, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright-That Last of Us, The Agency, Oscar nominated for American Fiction). Kyle is played by the real life son of Jeffrey Wright.
It all turns deadly serious when David gets a threatening ransom demand for 17.5 million dollars from a man claiming to have kidnapped Trey. Police are called in to create a plan for dropping off of the money. Suddenly, they find out that Trey is safe, but the kidnapper mistakenly has David’s son, Kyle! Paul is overwrought and now it’s David’s moral dilemma whether to kill his business deal or save his best friend’s son. Wright, as Paul, emotionally reflects his love for family and dedication to his best friend in another masterful performance.
Director Lee creates angst as police detectives hatch a plan to get Kyle and the money back. Interesting that the actor playing NYPD Detective Higgins involved in the case is a face you’ve seen in insurance commercials a million times. Surprise! It’s Mr. Mayhem himself, Dean Winters. He’s a bit awkward, but it was fun to see him in this role.
The money handoff turns into an intense, intricate, action sequence on the New York Subway and nerve-wracking chase on motorcycles through the streets of the city. Cinematographer Libatique captures the most dramatic scenes of King’s chase on the subway train using outside and overhead shots. Lee adds flavor with Yankee fans’ exuberance for their team on the train and music from street level at the Puerto Rican Day festival showcasing amazing Latin music from legend Eddie Palmieri joyously making his last film appearance. Unfortunately, Palmieri passed away days before this film was released.
The chase scenes reportedly were inspired by Billy Friedkin’s The French Connection which was shot at the Coney Island subway stop near Lee’s John Dewey H.S. when he was in class as a kid. When Lee found out Friedkin’s chase was done without a permit while he was sitting in his nearby school, he said he would have skipped class to see it, if he had only known.
We were not enamored with the score of the film by Howard Drossin, who has worked with Spike before. It was more retro than needed to be, and too upbeat for the serious nature of what we were seeing on the screen. We thought it more distracting than scene enhancing. It just didn’t seem to fit.
Yung Felon (A$AP-Dope, Monster, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) is the ambitious rapper who is desperately trying to get David King’s attention with his music. The very popular rapper does a credible job acting, more than holding his own in this film. Especially when he engages in a fierce rap battle and power struggle with Washington’s King.The script was written by Alan Fox, but we were Impressed to find out this challenging scene was mostly unscripted by both actors.
Denzel is in control while everything around him is spinning out of control. In the end, David’s golden ears help solve the crime so he can “get back to work.” It’s all about good money vs. bad, art vs. what sells, what you stand for, and current social media influences. It focuses on family in a harrowing situation providing so much music, action and tension. Once again, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington deliver.
A24 2 hours 13 minutes R
In theaters now. Streaming on Apple TV + September 5th.
