{"id":2023369,"date":"2025-09-15T10:55:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2023369"},"modified":"2025-09-15T10:55:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:55:05","slug":"denzel-washington-spike-lee-off-key-with-highest-2-lowest-jude-law-jason-bateman-soar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/denzel-washington-spike-lee-off-key-with-highest-2-lowest-jude-law-jason-bateman-soar\/","title":{"rendered":"Denzel Washington, Spike Lee off key with &#8216;Highest 2 Lowest&#8217;; Jude Law, Jason Bateman soar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If \u201cHighest 2 Lowest,\u201d as has been reported, is the cinematic coda for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2025\/08\/16\/denzel-washington-disses-cancel-culture\/85691905007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Denzel Washington;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Denzel Washington<\/a> and director <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2025\/09\/04\/highest-2-lowest-movie-spike-lee-interview\/85924444007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Spike Lee;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Spike Lee<\/a>, it goes out on a discordant note.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Any Lee-Washington collaboration has generally yielded entertaining (\u201cInside Man\u201d) to classic (\u201cMalcolm X\u201d) films. \u201cHighest,\u201d which is currently streaming exclusively on Apple TV+,\u201d is inconsistent, featuring several great scenes looking for some semblance of tempo and rhythm. It rarely comes close to finding either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Based on and adapted from the film \u201cHigh and Low\u201d directed by Akiro Kurosawa, it tells the story of record executive David King, a man with the best ears in the business with the ability to pick out music talent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He\u2019s living the high life and is in the midst of making a deal to control 100 percent of his record company. But just when things are looking sunny for him, clouds appear on the horizon.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Denzel Washington stars as music executive David King in the Spike Lee film &#8220;Highest 2 Lowest&#8221; on Apple TV+.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">King is a wealthy man and folks know it. Additionally, in his line of work he\u2019s made more than a few enemies. The latter reveals itself when his son Trey (Aubrey Joseph) is kidnapped \u2013 except he isn\u2019t. The bungling kidnappers snatch up Trey\u2019s best friend, Kyle (Elijah Wright) and the son of his father\u2019s best friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It brings a conundrum to David. He was perfectly willing to pony up $17.5 million to get his son back and, in the process, scuttle the business deal he had in the works, but people are pulling at him to do the same for Kyle. He ponders, debates himself and others and eventually agrees \u2014 with assurances from the FBI that they will protect his cash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">From there, things go completely off the rails with respect to narrative. While during the span where David makes the initial money drop possesses a certain thrill, it goes mostly downhill from there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That\u2019s unfortunate because no director should ever waste the talents of actors such as Washington and Wright, who attempt to spin gold from Alan Cox\u2019s scattershot script. Additionally, rapper A$AP Rocky gives an angry, charismatic performance that falls into the same category as the topliners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Lee has shown that he\u2019s more than capable of directing from scripts he\u2019s not written, \u201cInside Man\u201d being a prime example. But he doesn\u2019t seem to know how to put his stamp on this one.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Prepare for a different Jason Bateman in \u2018Black Rabbit\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBlack Rabbit,\u201d the limited series starring <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/movies\/articles\/wizard-kremlin-jude-law-makes-000000575.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jude Law;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Jude Law <\/a>and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jude-law-says-acting-with-black-rabbit-costar-jason-bateman-was-like-playing-a-sport-exclusive-11808163\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jason Bateman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Jason Bateman<\/a> that premieres Thursday (Sept. 18) on Netflix is a study in addictions and the repercussions that come from not confronting and controlling them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They star as brothers Jake and Vince Friedken, respectively.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Jake runs a Manhattan hotspot \u2013 a bar and dining concept originally conceived by Vince, prior him being forced out. The brothers\u2019 loyalty to one another is unquestioned, except for when it comes to the business. It\u2019s then that the fractures reveal themselves in some areas. Jake reluctantly agreed that Vince had to go after a tragedy that affected a Black Rabbit (the restaurant\u2019s name) staffer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Left to right: Jason Bateman as Vince, Jude Law as Jake &quot;Black Rabbit&quot; on Netflix.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"480\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6RrPpj4_Dsc0Qd2BsNSn_A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ4MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/akron-beacon-journal\/c0233b84a35bd21c4d9b9b9566203bd5\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Left to right: Jason Bateman as Vince, Jude Law as Jake &#8220;Black Rabbit&#8221; on Netflix.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That tragedy came as a direct consequence of drug and alcohol abuse by Vince. Couple that with a heaping dose of gambling issues and Vinnie-boy has an addiction trifecta going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What are Jake\u2019s addictions? Well, there is the allure of wealth and prestige for one as he works to grease the skids so that the Rabbit evolves into the No. 1 haven for Manhattan\u2019s movers and shakers. He\u2019s also got his ambitions focused on going downtown and he has to ensure everything is financially pristine at the Black Rabbit to comfort potential investors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The other addiction? Vince. As one of his staff members so bluntly puts it: Vince. Despite the litany of screwups that his older brother leaves in his destructive wake, Jake cannot help but remain loyal and dutiful in ensuring his brother remains above ground &#8211; literally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">All of these things combine to take the siblings down a dark, dangerous path where a lot of people close to them potentially get torched in their wake.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBlack Rabbit,\u201d created by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, is a fascinating character study with two actors up to the task. Bateman is grungy and manipulative and while audiences are used to seeing the latter in characters he portrays, the former is a revelation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Law is charming and seductive as a man struggling to hold his life together, including paying the costly tuition for his son\u2019s elite music school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The first episode proves to be a bit of a slog, but from the second on, it becomes a tense character study where the audience is invested in what happens to the duo. It is a must-see.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Popular shows on Prime Video, Apple TV+ return for new seasons<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Gen V,&#8221; Prime Video\u2019s spinoff of \u201cThe Boys,\u201d returns for its second season this week\u2026Joining that series: season four of the Jennifer Aniston-Reese Witherspoon series \u201cThe Morning Show.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Coming soon: We\u2019ve been too long without \u2018A Knives Out Mystery\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Curious as what comes next in the life of Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) from \u201cKnives Out?\u201d You\u2019re welcome (trailer has mild language issue):<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Everyone likes \u2018Wednesday\u2019 on Netflix<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Based on the most recent streaming ratings for the week ending Aug. 17, everyone \u2013 at least a lot of folks \u2013 likes the Tim Burton Netflix series \u201cWednesday,\u201d which led the Top 10 for the week. Here\u2019s a complete rundown:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWednesday\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 2.136 billion minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cSullivan\u2019s Crossing\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.586 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 1.018 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBluey\u201d (Disney+) \u2013 869 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d (Hulu\/Netflix) \u2013 783 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cSpongeBob SquarePants\u201d (Paramount+) \u2013 771 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe Hunting Wives\u201d (Netflix) \u2013 761 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cKing of the Hill (Hulu) \u2013 714 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cFamily Guy\u201d (Hulu) \u2013 660 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d \u2013 648 million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beaconjournal.com\/story\/entertainment\/television\/2025\/09\/15\/tv-stream-jason-bateman-jude-law-far-black-rabbit-denzel-washington-spike-lee\/86140047007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jason Bateman, Jude Law far from silly in 'Black Rabbit';elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Jason Bateman, Jude Law far from silly in &#8216;Black Rabbit&#8217;<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If \u201cHighest 2 Lowest,\u201d as has been reported, is the cinematic coda for Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee, it goes out on a discordant note. Any Lee-Washington collaboration has generally yielded entertaining (\u201cInside Man\u201d) to classic (\u201cMalcolm X\u201d) films. \u201cHighest,\u201d which is currently streaming exclusively on Apple TV+,\u201d is inconsistent, featuring several great scenes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2023370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[372172,351075,346654,41089,372170,305660,343019,23191,45167,372171],"class_list":["post-2023369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-akiro-kurosawa","tag-black-rabbit","tag-david-king","tag-denzel-washington","tag-elijah-wright","tag-jason-bateman","tag-jeffrey-wright","tag-netflix","tag-spike-lee","tag-vince-friedken"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Denzel-Washington-Spike-Lee-off-key-with-Highest-2-Lowest.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2023369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2023370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2023369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2023369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2023369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}