What role does Denzel Washington play in Highest 2 Lowest? All about his character in the film

Denzel Washington is on his way to give a power-packed performance in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest this summer. The dynamic duo is back after a two-year hiatus, and their collaboration has produced some top works, including Inside Man, Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, and He Got Game, as well as the new upcoming crime-thriller movie, Highest 2 Lowest.

It is inspired by iconic Akira Kurosawa’s classic film High and Low (1963), which was also an adaptation of the novel King’s Ransom written by Evan Hunter. Developed by Apple and A24, the film’s latest trailer is out, which is already stirring buzz as Denzel prepares to make his much-anticipated return to the screen under Spike Lee’s direction.

The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is up for a theatrical release in the U.S on August 15, 2025. On September 5, 2025, the film Highest 2 Lowest will be available for viewers on Apple TV+. 

Alongside Washington as David King, a few of the other cast members in the film are Ilfenesh Hadera as Pam King, Jeffry Wright as Paul Christopher, A$AP Rocky as Yung Felan, among others.

All about Denzel Washington’s role in Highest 2 Lowest

Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington will play a titan music mogul whose life and business are at stake. Although the film is a reinterpretation of Akira Kuraswa’s film, the time has now switched, and this crime-thriller will take place in modern-day New York City.

The synopsis of the film reads:

''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.''

He owns a powerful music industry and has a sharp ear for talent. It’s the dream of every struggling artist to meet David King once, and people often see him as calm, confident, and in control.

But behind closed doors, he has real moments of sorrow and doubt. His perfect life with wealth and power has been dirsrupted when his son, Trey (Aurbery Joseph), was kidnapped, and the kidnapper has asked him to pay $17 million.

Washington (David King) is a powerful CEO who is going to be seen as a strong individual and is looking for a way out of this chaos while also protecting his family. He has to keep everything in control, and surely there’s nothing that he couldn't handle.

What turns his life upside down is that when the kidnapping takes a sudden turn, he has to pull an innocent person into the mess. Denzel Washington, aka David King, is forced to make tough decisions and is now left with two choices. Either pay the ransom with his own money to save the victim, or refuse, buy the company, and let the police handle it, even if lives are at risk.

Lee saw Denzel Washington as an ideal choice for Highest 2 Lowest, knowing he could command the screen with his composed and authoritative exterior, effortlessly revealing the layers of fragile humanity beneath.

Spike Lee believed initially that Highest 2 Lowest would be his last project with Denzel Washington, and fans will not see any further exceptional films by this duo. But that’s not the case anymore. Lee, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, said,

“I said that before, but I got my mind right. I’m open to work with Denzel Washington, and this not be the last film of the dynamic duo, D and Lee.”

Will the duo come back with another blockbuster hit after Highest 2 Lowest? Well, that’s still under wraps.

But before that, wait for the theatrical release of Highest 2 Lowest starring Denzel Washington on August 15.