The Big Picture
Episode: ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Is a N.Y. Movie State of Mind, With Spike Lee!
Air Date: September 5, 2025
Hosts: Sean Fennessey & Amanda Dobbins, The Ringer
Special Guest: Spike Lee

Overview

This episode is a celebration of New York movies and filmmakers, spotlighting Spike Lee’s return with the Apple TV+ film “Highest to Lowest” starring Denzel Washington. Hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review Lee’s reinvention of Kurosawa’s “High and Low” and also discuss Darren Aronofsky’s new NYC-set crime film “Caught Stealing.” Discussions range from current movie news and future releases to in-depth reflections on legacy, class, and creativity in cinema—with the highlight being an extensive, energetic interview with Spike Lee.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

News & Notes: Movie Releases, Trailers, Industry Buzz

[02:02–16:38]

• Recent releases & festival activity: The hosts return from Telluride and Venice, catching up on summer movie news and noting “Weapons” as an unexpected box office winner.
• Upcoming films & trailers:
  • Wuthering Heights (Emerald Fennell) – Both hosts note the film’s modern, arch tone, hip casting (Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi), and original Charli XCX songs as likely to give the gothic romance a commercial boost.
  • 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Discussion on the continuity of style from the previous installment, anticipation for new villain roles, and overall visual language.
  • Is This Thing On? (Bradley Cooper) – A December release in which Will Arnett stars as a troubled standup; hosts muse on Cooper’s repeated exploration of tortured male performers on film.
  • Die My Love (Lynne Ramsay) – Lynne Ramsay directs Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in a stylized, postpartum psychodrama with festival buzz despite a limited release plan.

“Everything was as you said. It's just Will Arnett telling some, like, not unfunny, but pretty basic standup jokes…” – Amanda, [11:15]

“It looks like…maybe less soulful. Maybe more just like, slash some zombies. Which I guess that's what they would put in the trailer.” – Amanda on 28 Years Later, [10:03]

Review: Spike Lee’s “Highest to Lowest”

[17:09–39:54]

• Film details: Spike Lee’s 24th scripted feature, adapted from Kurosawa’s “High and Low” (and Ed McBain’s novel). Denzel Washington leads as David King, a powerful NYC music mogul confronted by a kidnapping crisis, class dilemmas, and family legacy.
• Performance & character:
  • Denzel delivers a frenetic, mannered performance that intentionally breaks from his “stately” norm, reflecting a character who’s “all over the place,” echoing NYC mogul types.
  • Jeffrey Wright plays King’s childhood friend and driver; their scenes together deliver the film’s emotional core.
• NYC as character:
  • Spike’s intimate, kinetic vision of New York—contrasting gentrified penthouses and working class life—grounds the moral stakes.
  • References to the city’s changing face: “He lives in a giant high rise… It's a new kind of Brooklyn than the one you might see in ‘Do the Right Thing.’” —Sean, [25:10]
• Structure and style:
  • The first 40 minutes bear a melodramatic, almost “Law & Order”-esque flatness, but as the action leaves the apartment, classic Spike Lee energy animates the second half.
  • Key set pieces: a tense ransom exchange, a dynamic Midtown chase, and a standout “rap battle” showdown between Denzel and A$AP Rocky.

“I should be fired for saying it's a movie with high highs and low lows, but it is.” – Sean, [19:15]

“You put Denzel Washington in a Spike Lee New York movie, and I'm gonna have a good time.” – Amanda, [18:34]

Memorable Moments / Quotes:

• Denzel’s dynamism:

  • “He's always making a choice… you always know they're in the room…” – Sean, [23:41]
  • “I was laughing. I was really fixated on it. They have a connection.” – Amanda on Denzel and A$AP Rocky’s rap showdown, [33:56]

• New York references:

  • “To the strains of Oh, What a Beautiful Morning from the opening song of Oklahoma… All drone shots… of ‘new Brooklyn.’ And I was like, oh, Spike, you still got it.” – Amanda, [26:25]
  • “As soon as he goes outside…the movie just takes off. You see his interest in the people of New York, the way that commuter travel works in the city…” – Sean, [32:14]

• Cultural resonance & critique:

  • Discussion of “boomer anxieties” about social media, generational conflict, and wealth.
  • “That would be absurd…” – Sean, on tension about whether Denzel’s character would pay the ransom, [36:48]
  • “That's a real thing that is working in our society right now.” —Amanda, [37:15]

• Distribution gripes:

  • “Never, ever, ever put a Denzel Washington movie straight to streaming. I do not understand it.” —Sean, [39:37]

Review: Darren Aronofsky’s “Caught Stealing”

[39:55–54:46]

• Film details: Aronofsky's 9th feature, a Lower East Side crime caper starring Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz, with a sprawling, eccentric NYC supporting cast.
• Critical assessment:
  • Both hosts were lukewarm; Amanda found it “implausible” and forced, Sean felt Aronofsky was “trying on someone else’s clothes.”
  • The film leans on genre tropes (mismatched criminals, action-chases, a Guy Ritchie-vibe), but with bland execution; attempts at winking cultural stereotypes and meta-humor mostly fall flat.
• Austin Butler’s presence:
  • Amanda: “I think he's Brad Pitt… he’s better when he's not like Meet Joe Black.”
• NYC & Mets energy:
  • Discussion on whether the overt baseball nostalgia adds anything, with Sean calling Shea Stadium “our shithole.” [52:02]
• Placement in Aronofsky’s career:
  • Noted as a potential “never happened” movie for both director and studio; dumped late summer, quickly headed to streaming.

“It just all felt… forced.” – Amanda, [41:53]

“He felt like he was trying on somebody else’s clothes.” – Sean, [42:11]

“I want to be Christy Turlington… do you?” – Amanda (after a tangent on aspirations and missed opportunities), [48:01]

Interview: Spike Lee on “Highest to Lowest”

[67:20–99:06]

Major Themes & Highlights

• On adapting “High and Low”:

  • Spike stresses it’s not a remake but a “reinterpretation”—akin to jazz variation on a standard, with overt nods to Prince (title stylization) and classic artists.
  • Approached the story with a mind to “morality, what is good, what is bad,” and wanting the audience to put themselves in Denzel’s shoes.
  • “I approached this like a great jazz musician who takes American Standard…” – Spike, [70:18]

• On Denzel Washington & the Characters:

  • Praises Denzel as the greatest living actor; describes his process as rigorous and spiritual.
  • Spike says the Denzel of “Mo’ Better Blues” could not do the Denzel of “Highest to Lowest,” citing his evolution and relentless work ethic.
  • “You cannot fake the funk.” – Spike, [85:39]

• On collaboration and legacy:

  • Details his decades-long partnership with cinematographer Matthew Libatique (“We love each other and we're dedicated to this art form…”) and how the entire team is built like a championship sports team.
  • “With a team comes togetherness… and the team calls love. I know it might sound corny, but… it's love.” – Spike, [76:10]

• On NYC & cultural context:

  • Views the film as a reflection of today’s world—a “year of living dangerously” where age-old generational conflict, class divides, and parasociality are amped up by technology and social media.
  • “If you watch this film… in a lot of ways, this film is a reflection of the world we live today.” – Spike, [78:08]

• Music & improvisation:

  • Spontaneous moments—like Denzel’s character’s rap battle with Rocky—weren’t scripted, but emerged on set because, “You have to have a thing on set, established where people feel free.”
  • “Denzel is a master using props… he uses everything… to make his performance come alive.” – Spike, [90:15]

• On Apple TV+ & Distribution:

  • “I'm not mad about streaming… without Apple+, this film would not have been made.” – Spike, [94:23]

• Self-reflection:

  • Sees parts of himself in David King—“we both have beautiful wives”—but demurs on specifics.
  • Calls “25th Hour” his own most underrated film: “I think it's a living document of New York City after 9/11…”

• Looking Ahead:

  • Hints at a forthcoming film (“Save Us, Joe Louis”) he’s vowed to make, honoring the late Budd Schulberg.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [71:06] “All money ain’t good money. The biggest thing I got from the Kurosawa film is about morality, what is good, what is bad…”
• [81:44] “That showdown… was not scripted, my brother, to turn to a rap battle. I look at a script and start dropping bars from Nas’s ‘Illmatic’ and… A$AP [Rocky] rolled with it.”
• [91:03] “25th Hour… that film is very special to me. I think it’s a living document of New York City after 9/11.”
• [85:39] “You cannot fake the funk.”
• [90:15] “Denzel is a master using props… he uses everything that’s said, props, to make his performance come alive.”

Other Segments & Timestamps

• Industry chatter & sports detour: [56:38–66:57]

  • Fluctuating fortunes for the Mets & Knicks, salary cap shenanigans in the NBA, humorous sports updates with tangential links to NYC culture.
  • “That's a real thing that is working in our society right now.” – Amanda, [37:15]

• Upcoming features & fall movie preview: [64:05–66:57]

  • Mentions of “One Battle After Another,” “The Strangers Chapter Two,” “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” and upcoming Stephen King adaptation “The Long Walk.”
  • Discussion of children’s movie trailers shown before animated features, and Amanda’s plans for “The Nutcracker.”

Conclusion

This episode is a New York movie state of mind from start to finish—witty, lively, and saturated in film and music history. Spike Lee’s infectious passion, Denzel’s layered performance, and the ever-changing city itself are all celebrated through nuanced, at times irreverent conversation. The hosts and their guest dive into film craft, the moral dilemmas of power, and the enduring draw of NYC on screen—and off.

Key Segment Timestamps

• Movie news, trailers & analysis: [02:02–16:38]
• Highest to Lowest full review/discussion: [17:09–39:54]
• Caught Stealing review: [39:55–54:46]
• Spike Lee Interview: [67:20–99:06]

Quotes attributed to segment speaker, timestamped in MM:SS format as requested.