Spike Lee's latest joint, Highest 2 Lowest, harkens back to the golden age of his work with its groovy soundtrack and New York City backdrop. More than that, Denzel Washington puts on yet another compelling performance as the film's lead.
In his background narration of the trailer, Washington speaks of principles—a way to live by—one that's evolved past hustling. The fifty seconds of quick shots and Washington's voice don't offer much else in terms of information, but the teaser is intriguing for another reason.
From one perspective, Washington's unnamed character seems to reflect his own experiences at this point in his career. He speaks with wisdom—with an understanding of survival—things of that nature. Washington has spent enough years in the industry to articulate his thoughts with such confidence, as demonstrated by his impassioned speech in the trailer.
What's apropos is that Washington's character sounds like a blend of every character he's ever portrayed. With his impending retirement approaching, it makes sense to a degree that he embodies such a persona. One of his final roles should pay tribute to the roles that put him on the map. And with Highest 2 Lowest, it appears Washington is determined to get the job done.
All of that is encapsulated by the narration from the trailer, which goes as follows:
"The hard times will come from success. The hard times will come from the money. And the mayhem follows. So, can you handle the mayhem? Can you handle the money? Can you handle the success? Can you handle the lovers? Can you handle the memes? Can you handle everything that there is in between? That's the question I have for you."
After listening to the audio, how much more evidence does one need to conclude that Washington's character is speaking to his young ward, presumably Yung Felon? One shot in the trailer appears to show Yung Felon and Washington's unnamed character standing outside a doorway, observing a young woman carrying an infant child. The context of the scene could be anything, although the likeliest explanation is that the woman is Felon's baby mama.
As for the narrative, the story seems to follow Yung Felon (Rocky) as he navigates an ongoing trial. Images of protesters waving 'not guilty' signs support said notion.
The 'Free Yung Felon' posters point to Washington playing an attorney—a meta callback to his Roman J. Israel character. We know the Gladiator II actor isn't playing the suspected defendant since rapper A$AP Rocky has the part. We could be wrong about Washington's role as an attorney since he could also be portraying a rival rapper, as indicated by the street-style clothing Washington wears in the movie.
There's also a chance that Washington's character serves as a mentor who counsels Yung Felon as he goes through messy court proceedings. This would explain why the nature of the monologue that he delivers sounds aimed at a young adult straying down a troubled path. Fortunately, Washington's voice of reason will put him on the right track. Or, maybe we've got the whole thing all wrong.
Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest is coming soon.