CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� There鈥檚 no sufficient way of explaining what it鈥檚 like to be around but his new film, 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� comes pretty close.
The main character, played by , is a Knicks fan who won鈥檛 tolerate Celtics green in his house. A framed jersey of Jalen Brunson hangs in his Brooklyn apartment. There are movie references peppered throughout, of 鈥淭he French Connection,鈥� 鈥淭he Defiant Ones鈥� and 鈥淭he Sweet Smell of Success.鈥� Yankee Stadium plays a pivotal setting. In one scene, Nicholas Turturro even yells directly into the camera: 鈥淏oston sucks!鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e not counting on Boston for box office!鈥� Lee says with a roaring cackle during an interview on a rooftop terrace in Cannes. 鈥淲e might as well just write that off.鈥�
Some of Lee鈥檚 most deeply felt passions 鈥� filmmaking and the New York Knicks 鈥� have collided at the . The premiere of 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest,鈥� a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa鈥檚 鈥淗igh to Low,鈥� came shortly before the matchup with the Indiana Pacers. Everywhere Lee has gone at the French Riviera festival, he鈥檚 gone in blue and orange, including a pinstripe suit on the red carpet.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a film by a New Yorker who loves New York. But if you鈥檙e not that, it doesn鈥檛 detract from you enjoying it. You could be from 鈥� (Lee raises an eyebrow) 鈥� Indiana,鈥� Lee says before letting out a maniacal roar. 鈥淲ait a minute, we got to write off another market, too!鈥�
The Denzel fracas on the red carpet
鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest,鈥� which A24 releases in theaters Aug. 22 before it streams on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5, was . Washington was surprised with a Palme d鈥橭r. (鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 acting,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 know. Only three or four people knew.鈥�) Washington also got in an angry tangle with a photographer on the red carpet after his arm was grabbed.
鈥淚 wish I could鈥檝e told that photographer: 鈥楧o not touch Denzel Washington or it鈥檚 going to be a (expletive) problem,鈥欌�� Lee says, laughing. 鈥淭he headline, 鈥楳an on Fire,鈥� hoooooo! That was a good headline.鈥�
Lee then picks up the digital recorder lying in front of him and says in a calm, professional voice: 鈥淟adies and gentleman, this is a public service announcement. Do not put your hands on Mr. Denzel Washington. Don鈥檛 say I didn鈥檛 warn you. Thank you very much.鈥�
But Lee, 68, has been more than happy to mix it up in Cannes. Before an interview, he taunted European journalists about his adopted Premier League team, At the press conference earlier in the day, he quoted Yoda for his primary message to film students: 鈥淭here is no try, only do.鈥� Said Lee: 鈥淎re you faking the funk or are you serious?鈥�
Lee's history with Cannes
Lee, who last , tried to avoid saying anything too pointed about But couldn鈥檛 help himself when asked about the moral decisions that mark 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how much we can talk about American values considering who is president,鈥� Lee told reporters.
Lee was also on an apology tour at the festival. Four years ago, he was the head of the jury that Only Lee, confused by the French-language ceremony, accidentally revealed the winner too soon. 鈥淥h, that鈥檚 a big one,鈥� said Lee, shaking his head. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 going down in the history of Cannes.鈥�
Just ahead of Lee's interview with The Associated Press, Ducournau, in Cannes with her 鈥淭itane鈥� follow-up, 鈥淎lpha,鈥� crossed the terrace to warmly embrace him. Recalling Lee said, 鈥淎 car impregnates a woman? You gotta win. You got my vote.鈥�
An ode to Kurosawa that's uniquely Spike Lee
鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� has been referred to as a remake of 鈥淗igh and Low,鈥� but the degree to which it鈥檚 a Spike Lee joint surprised festivalgoers. Washington plays David King, a wealthy record label executive whose son, along with the son of his friend and driver (Jeffrey Wright), is kidnapped for ransom. The kidnapper, played by A$AP Rocky, accidentally releases the wrong young man, leaving King with the decision to fork over the $17.5 million ransom for a young man who鈥檚 not his son.
The film is, in part, an ode to Kurosawa, whom Lee discovered as a film student at NYU. He credits his 鈥淩ashomon鈥� as the basis of 鈥淪he鈥檚 Gotta Have It.鈥� He met Kurosawa briefly once and has an autograph from the Japanese master signed with a paint brush. 鈥淚 got to shake his hand,鈥� says Lee.
鈥淚 grew up with my mother taking me to musicals," he says. 鈥淭he Sound of Music鈥� was one. If you listen to that great song by Rogers and Hammerstein with Julie Andrews singing it. What did Coltrane do to it? That鈥檚 my analogy. What Coltrane did to 鈥楳y Favorite Things,鈥� I think that鈥檚 what we did with this.鈥�
鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� is less driven as a Kurosawa homage than by Lee鈥檚 own obsessions: New York, music, the moral dilemmas of a Black entertainer and, yes, that Boston sucks. Above all, it鈥檚 another Lee protagonist forced to do the right thing.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad you said that. I never thought about that connected to the decisions David King has to make,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淏ut what you see is the turmoil he鈥檚 going through. He鈥檚 going through it. A moral decision. Money on one hand, a life on the other.鈥�
A (maybe) last hurrah for Spike and Denzel
More than any recent film of his, you can sense Lee having fun. Back in New York. Back with Denzel. 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� is Lee and Washington鈥檚 fifth film together but the first in 19 years after 2006鈥檚 鈥淚nside Man.鈥� "It鈥檚 not like we had to catch up,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淲e never lost a step.鈥�
But Lee suspects 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� marks the end of their collaboration 鈥� one of cinema鈥檚 greatest actor-director pairings, spanning 鈥淢o鈥� Better Blues,鈥� 鈥淢alcolm X鈥� and 鈥淗e Got Game.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he says,鈥� Lee shrugs, citing Washington鈥檚 retirement plans. 鈥淎nd then the other day he鈥檚 doing a film with the guy from 鈥楥ity of God,鈥� so. Denzel put that on himself: 鈥業鈥檓 doing this thing and then I鈥檓 retiring.鈥� I鈥檒l believe it when he hangs it up.鈥�
鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� reaches a blistering crescendo when King confronts Rocky鈥檚 kidnapper in a basement recording studio. A kind of rap battle ensues that Lee gives much of the credit to Washington for. The actor improvised many of his lyrics, drawing heavily from Nas. ("That was not scripted," says Lee. 鈥淲e had to pay for that!鈥�)
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 understand. Denzel is such a powerful force. Not a derogatory term, but he鈥檚 a beast. If you got somebody who don鈥檛 got it, Denzel is going to slaughter them. SLAUGHTER," Lee explains. 鈥淩ocky is from Harlem, uptown. So I knew that he鈥檚 not going to punk out. He鈥檚 going to stand there, feet planted to the ground, as a heavyweight fight, blow to blow to blow.鈥�
For Lee, the scene is a summation of what he loves about moviemaking and what delights him so much courtside at Madison Square Garden.
鈥淧eople want to see a championship fight, and that鈥檚 what it is. That is, in boxing terms, a slugfest,鈥� says Lee. 鈥漈hat makes great cinema. It makes great sports. You鈥檝e got conflict. It鈥檚 a battle, and they鈥檙e slugging it out.鈥�
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Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. He鈥檚 seeing approximately 40 films at this year鈥檚 festival and
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For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
