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CANNES, France -- There’s nary capable mode of explaining what it’s similar to beryllium astir Spike Lee, but his caller film, “Highest 2 Lowest” comes beauteous close.
The main character, played by Denzel Washington, is simply a Knicks instrumentality who won’t tolerate Celtics greenish successful his house. A framed jersey of Jalen Brunson hangs successful his Brooklyn apartment. There are movie references peppered throughout, of “The French Connection,” “The Defiant Ones” and “The Sweet Smell of Success.” Yankee Stadium plays a pivotal setting. In 1 scene, Nicholas Turturro adjacent yells straight into the camera: “Boston sucks!”
“We’re not counting connected Boston for container office!” Lee says with a roaring cackle during an interrogation connected a rooftop terrace successful Cannes. “We mightiness arsenic good conscionable constitute that off.”
Some of Lee’s astir profoundly felt passions — filmmaking and the New York Knicks — person collided astatine the Cannes Film Festival. The premiere of “Highest 2 Lowest,” a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s “High to Low,” came soon earlier the Knicks statesman their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Indiana Pacers. Everywhere Lee has gone astatine the French Riviera festival, he’s gone successful bluish and orange, including a pinstripe suit connected the reddish carpet.
“It’s a movie by a New Yorker who loves New York. But if you’re not that, it doesn’t detract from you enjoying it. You could beryllium from … (Lee raises an eyebrow) … Indiana,” Lee says earlier letting retired a maniacal roar. “Wait a minute, we got to constitute disconnected different market, too!”
“Highest 2 Lowest,” which A24 releases successful theaters Aug. 22 earlier it streams connected Apple TV+ connected Sept. 5, was one of the astir eventful premieres of Cannes. Washington was amazed with a Palme d’Or. (“That wasn’t acting,” Lee said. “He didn’t know. Only 3 oregon 4 radical knew.”) Washington besides got successful an aggravated tangle with a lensman connected the reddish carpet aft his limb was grabbed.
“I privation I could’ve told that photographer: ‘Do not interaction Denzel Washington oregon it’s going to beryllium a (expletive) problem,’” Lee says, laughing. “The headline, ‘Man connected Fire,’ hoooooo! That was a bully headline.”
Lee past picks up the integer recorder lying successful beforehand of him and says successful a calm, nonrecreational voice: “Ladies and gentleman, this is simply a nationalist work announcement. Do not enactment your hands connected Mr. Denzel Washington. Don’t accidental I didn’t pass you. Thank you precise much.”
But Lee, 68, has been much than blessed to premix it up successful Cannes. Before an interview, helium taunted European journalists astir his adopted Premier League team, Arsenal. At the property league earlier successful the day, helium quoted Yoda for his superior connection to movie students: “There is nary try, lone do.” Said Lee: “Are you faking the funk oregon are you serious?”
Lee, who past debuted 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman” successful Cannes, tried to debar saying thing excessively pointed astir President Donald Trump. But couldn’t assistance himself erstwhile asked astir the motivation decisions that people “Highest 2 Lowest.”
“I don’t cognize however overmuch we tin speech astir American values considering who is president,” Lee told reporters.
Lee was besides connected an apology circuit astatine the festival. Four years ago, helium was the caput of the assemblage that awarded Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” the Palme d’Or. Only Lee, confused by the French-language ceremony, accidentally revealed the victor excessively soon. “Oh, that’s a large one,” said Lee, shaking his head. “That’s going down successful the past of Cannes.”
Just up of Lee's interrogation with The Associated Press, Ducournau, successful Cannes with her “Titane” follow-up, “Alpha,” crossed the terrace to warmly clasp him. Recalling “Titane,” Lee said, “A car impregnates a woman? You gotta win. You got my vote.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” has been referred to arsenic a remake of “High and Low,” but the grade to which it’s a Spike Lee associated amazed festivalgoers. Washington plays David King, a affluent grounds statement enforcement whose son, on with the lad of his person and operator (Jeffrey Wright), is kidnapped for ransom. The kidnapper, played by A$AP Rocky, accidentally releases the incorrect young man, leaving King with the determination to fork implicit the $17.5 cardinal ransom for a young antheral who’s not his son.
The movie is, successful part, an ode to Kurosawa, whom Lee discovered arsenic a movie pupil astatine NYU. He credits his “Rashomon” arsenic the ground of “She’s Gotta Have It.” He met Kurosawa concisely erstwhile and has an autograph from the Japanese maestro signed with a overgarment brush. “I got to shingle his hand,” says Lee.
“I grew up with my parent taking maine to musicals," helium says. “The Sound of Music” was one. If you perceive to that large opus by Rogers and Hammerstein with Julie Andrews singing it. What did Coltrane bash to it? That’s my analogy. What Coltrane did to ‘My Favorite Things,’ I deliberation that’s what we did with this.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” is little driven arsenic a Kurosawa homage than by Lee’s ain obsessions: New York, music, the motivation dilemmas of a Black entertainer and, yes, that Boston sucks. Above all, it’s different Lee protagonist forced to bash the close thing.
“I’m gladsome you said that. I ne'er thought astir that connected to the decisions David King has to make,” Lee says. “But what you spot is the turmoil he’s going through. He’s going done it. A motivation decision. Money connected 1 hand, a beingness connected the other.”
More than immoderate caller movie of his, you tin consciousness Lee having fun. Back successful New York. Back with Denzel. “Highest 2 Lowest” is Lee and Washington’s 5th movie unneurotic but the archetypal successful 19 years aft 2006’s “Inside Man.” "It’s not similar we had to drawback up,” Lee says. “We ne'er mislaid a step.”
But Lee suspects “Highest 2 Lowest” marks the extremity of their collaboration — 1 of cinema’s top actor-director pairings, spanning “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcolm X” and “He Got Game.”
“That’s what helium says,” Lee shrugs, citing Washington’s status plans. “And past the different time he’s doing a movie with the feline from ‘City of God,’ so. Denzel enactment that connected himself: ‘I’m doing this happening and past I’m retiring.’ I’ll judge it erstwhile helium hangs it up.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” reaches a blistering crescendo erstwhile King confronts Rocky’s kidnapper successful a basement signaling studio. A benignant of rap conflict ensues that Lee gives overmuch of the recognition to Washington for. The histrion improvised galore of his lyrics, drafting heavy from Nas. ("That was not scripted," says Lee. “We had to wage for that!”)
“People don’t understand. Denzel is specified a almighty force. Not a derogatory term, but he’s a beast. If you got idiosyncratic who don’t got it, Denzel is going to slaughter them. SLAUGHTER," Lee explains. “Rocky is from Harlem, uptown. So I knew that he’s not going to punk out. He’s going to basal there, feet planted to the ground, arsenic a heavyweight fight, stroke to stroke to blow.”
For Lee, the country is simply a summation of what helium loves astir moviemaking and what delights him truthful overmuch courtside astatine Madison Square Garden.
“People privation to spot a title fight, and that’s what it is. That is, successful boxing terms, a slugfest,” says Lee. ”That makes large cinema. It makes large sports. You’ve got conflict. It’s a battle, and they’re slugging it out.”
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Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. He’s seeing astir 40 films astatine this year’s festival and reporting connected what stands out.
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For much sum of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival
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