The plot: When a powerful music mogul is targeted by a ransom plot, he is forced to fight for his family and legacy while jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
The film was okay.
Pros: It did stay inconsistent into its main storyline involved a kidnapped. Denzel Washington was very good as the lead. How it really a corporate hip-pop and rap music and they used it. Watching this does make you feel like you’re in New York & How it is ending in a satisfy way.
Cons: The pacing did glad on through most of the film. I feel like watching a music video half the times. The final confrontation with the kidnapper didn’t feel satisfying to me & for being too different from what I already seen.
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Directed by Spike Lee
Produced by Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman
Screenplay by Alan Fox
Based on High and Low
(1963 film) by
- Akira Kurosawa
- Hideo Oguni
- Ryūzō Kikushima
- Eijirō Hisaita [ja]
- King’s Ransom
(1959 novel)
by Ed McBain
Starring: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera & ASAP Rocky.
Edited by Barry Alexander Brown, Allyson C. Johnson
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
Music by Howard Drossin
Production companies: A24, Kurosawa Production, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Escape Artists, Mandalay Pictures
Distributed by: A24, Apple Original Films
Cast:
- Denzel Washington as David King
- Jeffrey Wright as Paul Christopher
- Ilfenesh Hadera as Pam King
- ASAP Rocky as Archie/Yung Felon
- John Douglas Thompson as Detective Earl Bridges
- Dean Winters as Detective Higgins
- LaChanze as Detective Bell
- Aubrey Joseph as Trey King
- Elijah Wright as Kyle Christopher
- Michael Potts as Patrick Bethea
- Wendell Pierce as Gabe
- Destiny Frasqueri as Rosa Fuentes
- Isis Gaston (“Ice Spice”) as Marisol Cepeda
- Frederick Weller as Alex Cordova
- Nicholas Turturro as Frankie Da Lunatic
- Jensen McRae as June York
- Andy McQueen as Larry Friday
- Aiyana-Lee as Sula
Rick Fox, Rod Strickland, Don Lemon, Eddie Palmieri, Anthony Ramos, and Rosie Perez appear as themselves.
I recommend watching this film on Apple TV+.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Ryan Balkwill:
Resident film reviewer,
Level Best Art Cafe