Summary
- Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting after 18 years to adapt the Japanese thriller, High and Low.
- The film will be a collaboration between Apple and A24, with a theatrical release followed by streaming on Apple TV+.
- The crime thriller is a perfect fit for Lee and Washington, who have excelled at exploring social issues and making successful thrillers.
Spike Lee are reuniting for the first time in 18 years to adapt the 1963 Japanese thriller, High and Low. The Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker have collaborated on four feature films over the years – Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. The 1992 biopic earned Washington an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the titular civil rights activist. Their most recent collaboration, Inside Man, came in 2006, which was a critical and commercial success that earned over $184 million at the box office.
Now, after 18 years since their last collaboration, the actor and director are reuniting for their fifth film together. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reteaming for an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, which will begin production in March. The English-language reinterpretation will be written by Lee and Alan Fox. The project is a partnership between Apple and A24 and will be released theatrically before streaming on Apple TV+.
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Why Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Are Perfect For An Adaptation Of High & Low
Kurosawa's crime thriller follows a shoe executive who becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is accidentally kidnapped and held for ransom instead of his own son. High and Low was not only regarded as a riveting thriller, but also a brilliant commentary on contemporary Japanese society in 1963. Similarly, Spike Lee is best known for his films that explore race relations and other political issues within the black community, such as Do the Right Thing and BlacKkKlansman, the latter of which won him his only Academy Award in 2019.
However, Lee has proven to be equally adept at crime thrillers. This includes Inside Man, which still stands as Lee's highest-grossing film, and an example of his ability to make smart genre films. Lee directed another action thriller in 2013's Old Boy, a remake of the South Korean film of the same name, though his version was widely deemed inferior to the original.
By reteaming with Washington for another crime thriller, Lee should be able to recapture some of the magic from their last collaboration, while also utilizing his talents as an actor. There is perhaps no living actor more associated with successful thrillers than Washington, including Training Day, Man on Fire, The Equalizer trilogy, and more. In turn, an adaptation of Kurosawa's classic crime thriller, High and Low, should play to some of Washington and Lee's greatest strengths.
High and Low (1963) is streaming on Max.
Source: THR
