HIGHEST 2 LOWEST : FILM REVIEW

Hardly a minute into Highest 2 Lowest, the newest Spike Lee Joint ' [ Lee's self-label describing his film's individuality ] one realises that this isn't just another movie, even if it looks and moves like any other movie.

Lee's film, his fifth starring Denzel Washington, keeps most of their last film's -Inside Man- distinctive kineticism and sharp-focused approach to characters. David King [ Washington ] - once a high profile music mogul with the sharpest ears for detecting new talent. - is a staunch, strong-willed patriarch, whose record company is in the middle of a corporate buyout deal.

King, conflicted about losing the brand he made, wants to leverage his assets to regain ownership.

That means no spending half-a-million on charity for his wife [ IIfenesh Hadera ], and no time for his son. Trey [ Aubrey Joseph ], whom he keeps in check lest he gets drowned in the world of social media, where most of the young man's attention lies.

In a few hours, as King nearly secures his company, a phone call shatters his world : Trey and his best friend Kyle [ Elijah Wright], son of King's best friend and driver Paul [ Jeffrey Wright ] are kidnapped. The ransom is $17.5 million that's nearly everything King has.

For a three-quarters of the film, the screenplay by Alan Fox binds us to King - and Matthew Libatique's wide-angles anamorphic cinematography makes sure your attention is not going anywhere. 

We never cut away from King's problems to the rest of the world, be it kidnappers or the ineptiness of police.

Although a film about kidnapping and ransom, Lee's film is as wise as King : in the later stages it speaks of sensationalism, social media, the pressures of cancel culture - even if you do a good job, or make a hard decision - and the guiltless cancellation of today's generation.

The lens we see the world through has the wisdom of a person who has lived through it all. As that wise but fallible man, Washington is at the top of his game.

The story is about the journey from '' highest to lowest '', and the rebirth.

But even with statement-making and long sequences of character drama, Highest 2 Lowest is a thriller, first and foremost - one whose narrative structure, pace and feel is reminiscent of late 1990s-2000.

Loose storytelling, be it in framing or agenda-pushing, is not on the film's radar because of one simple fact, there was no need for it in this ' Spike Lee Joint '.

The World Students Society thanks Mohammed Kamran Jawaid.