Denzel Washington and Spike Lee have been collaborating since 1990’s Mo’ Higher Blues, and the 2 legends have been real staples throughout the trade. The film adopted Washington’s Bleek Gilliam, a fictional musician struggling to seek out his means in life. It was their earliest effort collectively, and the 2 award-winning stars would go on to characteristic in lots of extra collaborations.
The duo rapidly elected to reunite in Malcolm X (1992), which was a critically famend masterpiece that noticed Washington enjoying historic activist Malcolm X and Lee as Shorty. Their subsequent collaboration was He Bought Sport (1998), a sports activities drama that noticed Lee within the driver’s seat as the author and director.
It could not be till Inside Man in 2006 that the pair would collaborate once more, and the heist film went on to thrill critics and earn a powerful field workplace. Whereas they don’t all the time work collectively, as they’ve created numerous productions aside, each Washington and Lee film proved to be entertaining and comparatively profitable.
Highest 2 Lowest Continues Washington & Lee’s Rotten Tomatoes Streak
The 2 actors reunited for Apple TV+’s Highest 2 Lowest, and the thriller is already setting a powerful report on Rotten Tomatoes. Primarily based on the Japanese procedural Excessive and Low (1963), this film marks the primary time that Lee and Washington have labored collectively in 18 years, which is itself a powerful accomplishment.
Lee serves because the director, whereas Washington stars as music mogul David King. When King is confronted with a ransom, he’s pressured to face numerous threats as he works to deliver his life again to regular. The film was launched in theaters and can start streaming on Apple TV+ on September 5, 2025.
With a 90% Tomatometer rating and an 88% Popcornmeter rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Highest 2 Lowest is constant a uncommon streak on the assessment aggregator. This new launch continues a powerful legacy as each one among Washington and Lee’s many reunion films has acquired a recent designation, regardless of the lengthy look forward to this newest collaboration.
What This Means For Highest 2 Lowest
It ought to come as no nice shock {that a} Washington and Lee film is critically acclaimed. The pair has by no means upset viewers, as they have an inclination to deliver an power to every manufacturing that few different pairs can match. Try the chart under, which showcases the spectacular accomplishment in depth:
|
Title |
Tomatometer Rating |
Popcornmeter Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Mo’ Higher Blues |
71% |
75% |
|
Malcolm X |
89% |
91% |
|
He Bought Sport |
80% |
83% |
|
Inside Man |
86% |
85% |
|
Highest 2 Lowest |
90% |
88% |
Their first joint launch was their most disappointing, and even that had scores of over 70% in each Rotten Tomatoes classes. Highest 2 Lowest, in contrast, has earned a 90% Tomatometer rating and an 88% Popcornmeter rating. These outcomes point out that it’s about as spectacular as Malcolm X was.
With few different new releases on the field workplace this week, good word-of-mouth needs to be an ideal boon for Highest 2 Lowest. Critics praised the performances, visuals, and the extraordinary humorousness, and audiences had been equally enthused. Like all of their different releases, Washington and Lee needs to be happy with their newest thriller, and it will not be stunning if there’s robust Oscar potential.
Highest 2 Lowest
7/10
- Launch Date
-
August 15, 2025
- Runtime
-
133 minutes
- Writers
-
Alan Fox, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima, Eijirō Hisaita, Evan Hunter
- Producers
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Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman