In 'Highest 2 Lowest,' Spike Lee reinterprets Akira Kurosawa's classic 1963 film

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In the new Spike Lee film “Highest 2 Lowest,” Denzel Washington stars as music mogul David King. He lives at the top of the world — which, of course, is a New York City zip code — in a glittering penthouse with stunning views outside and a picture-perfect wife and teenage son safely inside. Until one’s not.

Then, King gets a call from a kidnapper who claims to have his son. In actuality, his son got away, but his son’s best friend — the son of King’s driver and longtime confidant — was mistakenly taken. How much is King willing to risk for that boy?

Sound familiar? It’s meant to. “Highest to Lowest” is director Lee and screenwriter Alan Fox’s take on the 1963 landmark film “High and Low” by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. It opens in theaters this Friday and will be on Apple TV+ in early September.