Apple TV+ has many facets to its reputation, but it’s fair to say that, among the bigger and more widely-subscribed streaming services, it’s possibly the pretentious choice. After all, its output is a little less populist and a little more thoughtful on average, which also means that it attracts auteurs impressively.
Now it’s unveiled another sizeable collaboration to add to its roster – the latest movie from Spike Lee and Denzel Washington working together, from the buzziest movie production studio in the business right now, A24. Highest 2 Lowest looks like an absolute thrill-ride, and its synopsis makes it clear just how artsy it is.
Lee has adapted the famed Akira Kurosawa thriller High and Low, moving the action from Japan over to Manhattan, the heart of New York. Washington will play a hugely successful music mogul at the height of his powers, whose life gets much more complicated when he becomes involved in a complex web of blackmail and pressure.
As the first teaser trailer, embedded above, makes very clear, things will spiral into a chain of shocking events, including a dash of violence and a whole heap of tension. That’s actually something Lee handles quite brilliantly in his oeuvre, with the bigger sequences in movies like Inside Man standing out for how well-shot and legible they feel to watch.
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Of course, Denzel Washington is also just about as powerful an actor as you can possibly find to anchor your movie. Even when he stars in something completely mediocre, like last year’s Gladiator 2, he still elevates every scene he appears in, redeeming scripts that might otherwise seem lacklustre.
So, this looks like something of a dream come true for cinephiles with Apple TV+ subscriptions. We don’t yet know exactly when it’ll hit the service, though – it’ll be in cinemas from 22 August, though, and presumably make its way online shortly after that. In the meantime, those looking for more auteurship from the best streaming services might want to consider a Mubi subscription, to really up their game.
