Spike Lee made a triumphant return to the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival this evening with his latest masterpiece, "Highest 2 Lowest," which premiered in the Out of Competition section. The Akira Kurosawa-inspired crime thriller, starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, and Ilfenesh Hadera, received a thunderous six-minute ovation during its world premiere.
"Highest 2 Lowest" offers a contemporary spin on Kurosawa's 1963 classic, "High and Low," which was adapted from Ed McBain's novel, "King's Ransom." The original film followed a shoe company executive who faced extortion when his chauffeur's son was mistakenly kidnapped for ransom. In Lee's reimagining, set against the backdrop of modern-day New York City, Washington portrays a music mogul who grapples with a similarly gripping plot.
Produced by Apple and A24, this film marks the first collaboration between Lee and Washington since "Inside Man" in 2006. Their storied partnership also includes films like "Mo' Better Blues," "Malcolm X," and "He Got Game." Prior to the "Highest 2 Lowest" premiere, Washington was bestowed with a surprise honorary Palme d'Or.
This is Lee's sixth appearance in the Cannes Official Selection, marking a poignant 36 years since his debut with "Do the Right Thing" in 1989. His other notable films at Cannes include "Jungle Fever" (1991), "Girl 6" (1996), "Ten Minutes Older" (2002), and "BlacKkKlansman" (2018).
Interestingly, Lee announced "Highest 2 Lowest"'s inclusion in the Cannes Official Selection on the same day the lineup was unveiled, despite the festival initially omitting his film. At that time, the festival explained, "The film was not announced this morning due to pending confirmation of Denzel Washington's attendance at Cannes."
Washington was indeed present this evening and was delighted with a stunning surprise from the festival: an honorary Palme d'Or. "This is our way of expressing our immense admiration for your contributions to cinema," said Thierry Frémaux, the festival director, as he presented the award.
Scheduled to release in select theaters on August 22 before debuting on Apple TV+ on September 5, "Highest 2 Lowest" is penned by Alan Fox and Lee. Todd Black produced the film for Escape Artists, alongside Jason Michael Berman for Mandalay Pictures. Executive producers include Lee for 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Peter Guber of Mandalay, and Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham, and Katia Washington of Juniper Productions. Jordan Moldo of Mandalay served as the co-producer.
