High and Low / Highest 2 Lowest
Updated: Sep 11
In this episode...
High and Low (1963) Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune
Highest 2 Lowest (2025) US film directed by Spike Lee, starring Denzel Washington and ASAP Rocky
Akira Kurosawa, often best known for his samurai epics (Seven Samurai, Ran, Rashomon, etc), also pretty much invented the modern police procedural with High and Low. The audience follows businessman Gondo, who has to make a decision about whether to pay the ransom for one of his employee's children.
Spike Lee, famed for his social commentary and love for New York, takes the story and runs with it, naturally casting Denzel as his media mogul and renaming it Highest 2 Lowest. But which movie is more thrilling? Do these movies have anything to say?
Source Material:
The American novelist Evan Hunter's novel King's Ransom, though directors Akira Kurosawa and Spike Lee largely use the book as a starting point for their explorations of social problems.
Which is better?
For those who want to skip to finding out which movie David & Claire say is better, podcast spoilers ahead!
Find out what the best movie is...
Claire: High and Low (1963)
David: High and Low (1963)
Interested in which movies tend to be the favorites? Some say the original is always better, but Hollywood always loves a remake. At Two for One, we evaluate each movie on its own terms, but we also keep track of data on what we've liked best.
Listeners Choice
Which do you like better?
0%High and Low
0%Highest 2 Lowest
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