Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' Premieres at Cannes with Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky

Spike Lee presented his film 'Highest 2 Lowest' at the Cannes Film Festival, out of competition. The film is a contemporary remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 thriller 'High and Low', shifting the setting from 1960s industrial Japan to a New York City mosaic of neon skyscrapers, graffiti, and hip-hop. Denzel Washington stars as David King, a music producer and philanthropist facing a moral dilemma involving social media. Rapper A$AP Rocky (Rakim Mayers) plays Young Felon, a marginalized rapper who engages in a rap battle with Washington. The film marks the reunion of Lee and Washington nearly twenty years after 'Inside Man'. Lee's sixth film in official selection at Cannes, 'Highest 2 Lowest' is described as a stylistic exercise that lacks the sharp dialogue of his earlier works. The festival also awarded Denzel Washington an honorary Palme d'Or, recognizing his career of over 50 films. The film features references to artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kehinde Wiley, which appear on the walls of King's home.