Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, Aubrey Joseph, Elijah Wright,Rick Fox, Rod Strickland, Ice Spice, Frederick Weller, Michael Potts, Dean Winters, LaChanze, Wendell Pierce

Written By: Alan Fox, based on the novel Kings Ransom, and the Akira Kurosawa film High and low

Directed By: Spike lee

Original Score By: Howard Drossin

Release Year: 2025

Studio: A24 And Apple Films

Runtime: 135 minutes

Audio Description Produced By: Pixel logic

Written By: (Need Credits)

Narrated By: Katherine Grantham

What is it?: Spike Lee retells what Kurosawa once already adapted, putting a modern flair on the story. Here, we have David King (Washington) who has been met with a lot of success in the recording industry, and sits on top of the world with his family. He has plans to retire, but he’s changing those, fearing his label and life’s work will be used to non-artistic effect. His life turns upside down when his baller 17-year old son Trey (Joseph) is kidnapped. Quickly, the police swoop in, and King faces a 17.5 million dollar ransom that would keep him from purchasing back the majority stake in his company. He’s willing to do it. But when the cops find Trey unharmed, they realize Trey’s friend was accidentally taken, and now David’s best friend and life long confidant (Wright) finds himself at the mercy of his wealthy friend. Will King pay the ransom? And, how does society feel about King’s part in all of this, in a reflection of cancel culture used in other means.

What Works: there certainly is a film here, and Spike Lee is a terrific director. I’m not sure he got what he needed from the script, but certainly Washington delivers every ounce of dialogue perfectly. He has an electric scene with A$AP Rocky, who plays an aspiring rap artist, that is maybe his best work since Fences. Much like with Gladiator 2, Denzel is certainly not the problem, and is one of the few reasons to Tuen in.

The other big one is Jeffrey Wright, who acts opposite his actual son, playing a father who lacks the means to save his son. He has dedicated his life to David, and now his son has been put in danger by proximity, and it is out of his control. There’s no legal responsibility here, so he just has to convince his friend to do the right thing (a title Lee used ages ago, but would have been a more fitting title for this).

It’s a morality tale, and it certainly has some excellent beats. the supporting cast is fine, but no one can possibly hope to top Washington and Wright.

What Doesn’t Work: If you’re looking for those A24 vibes, they aren’t here. My least favorite Spike Lee film was his misguided remake of Oldboy, and save one other film, this might be that close to the bottom of his roster. Highest To lowest, while possessing interesting ideas, and having some heavy hitting scenes, as a cohesive final work is not something I enjoyed, nor would I recommend.

the film has an aggressively awful score, which is amplified by the fact that this takes place in the music industry. It feels like music that could have been written for anything, from an elevator, to a video game cut scene. I’m not the only one who has noticed, but it is one of the rare occasions where I was so put off by the score, it did actually affect my enjoyment of the film. As Washington waxes poetic alone, asking legendary musicians if they would make the same choices, I can’t help but believe this film needed not a composer, but a supervisor, who knew which cuts worked in which scenes, rendering the score useless. This should have a soundtrack that reflects the ear of David King, but instead, it provides you with a score that will remind you of all the times you’ve been on hold.

Lee also isn’t sure where to end the film, and the scene that makes the most sense ends up having another 10+ minutes added past it. I can’t think of a reason this should be above two hours. it is so melodramatic, that the few scenes with any life in them feel like they are from a different film.

I truly believed I would love this, because I think Spike lee is a terrific auteur, but every auteur seems to miss a few times.

The Audio Description: I appreciated the specificity of pointing out that King has paintings by Basquiat in his penthouse. It must feel like a full circle moment for Wright, who starred in the biopic of Basquiat, and is now acting opposite his son in a Spike Lee joint all these years later. But the description soars the most in a complicated set of exchanges coming out of the subway. A very nice track.

Why You Might Like it: I wouldn’t stop a Denzel fan, or a Jeffrey Wright fan from watching. i also wouldn’t stop someone trying to see all of Spike lee’s works. Plus, if you have Apple plus, they have such little to offer as they boldly increase their price, despite the lack of licensed library content. So, you have to make the most out of your 13 bucks a month. It’s a morality tale more than a crime thriller or action film, so if that intrigues you, you’ll maybe enjoy this more.

Why you Might Not Like it: It will never be called spike Lee’s best work, not just because it is nearly impossible for him to top his earlier works like Do The right Thing or Malcolm X, but because it feels oddly soapy for a Spike Lee joint, and the score isn’t helping.

Final thoughts: Normally, Spike Lee joints pulsate to their own beat, but a dismal score drowns the strong performances from Washington and Wright, providing a clear definition of the lowest point of the film, and the highest. Stuck in the middle is an interesting, but overly drawn out morality tale in the time of cancel culture. Ultimately, despite the talent involved, this just misses the mark, and I couldn’t recommend it.

Rotten: 5.8/10