Spike Lee talked about his upcoming film “Highest 2 Lowest” — which will see the director reuniting with lead actor Denzel Washington — during an onstage talk Tuesday at the Red Sea Film Festival, where he is chairing the competition’s jury.
The film was inspired by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low,” he said, adding that Kurosawa was a major inspiration for his career – from “She’s Gotta Have It” onward. In High and Low, a Yokohama shoe company executive becomes the victim of blackmail when his driver’s son is mistakenly kidnapped and held for ransom.
Lee said attending New York University’s film school opened his eyes to filmmakers like Kurosawa, who introduced him to new approaches to story construction.
“One of the best things about film school is that you get to know world cinema, not just Hollywood. Seeing Kurosawa’s film ‘Rashomon’ and its structure inspired me to make ‘You Must Have’. In ‘Rashomon’, you have three people witnessing a rape, and each He gives his own opinion on what happened. In You’ve Gotta Have It, Nola Darling has three friends who see her in a different way. Since the beginning of my career, I have been influenced by Kurosawa.
Teaming up with Denzel Washington for their fifth film together and first since “Inside Man” 18 years ago, Lee described their collaboration as a “dynamic duo” and explained that their families are very close as well.
Asked about Washington’s claim that he would soon retire from film acting, Lee joked, “I’m glad we got five of them.” Regarding whether Lee himself would one day retire, the director asked how old Kurosawa was when he made his last film, and when told he was 81, he smiled and said, “Yes, I have some time left!”
Lee gave few details about “Highest 2 Lowest,” which was inspired by the Japanese director’s 1963 crime thriller, “High and Low,” but insisted that “it is not a remake, it is a reinterpretation of the great Kurosawa.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” is scheduled for release in early summer 2025 and is produced by A24 in association with Apple Original Films.
When asked what it was like working with Washington, he told me: “We’re brothers. It’s been 18 years since we shot our last movie together. That’s a gap. But I was surprised he didn’t feel that way. I’m very lucky to have worked on five movies with him. We don’t have to… We sit and look at each other and we just do our work.”
He added that producing just one film with actors of Washington’s caliber or the likes of Samuel L. Jackson would be a crime. “You have to surround yourself with great artists in front of and behind the camera.”
However, the director also made it clear that he will always make sure to provide opportunities for new talent in the cast and crew, stressing how difficult it is to work in cinema, especially for minorities.
Eventually, the conversation turned to Lee’s film “Malcolm X,” which was filmed in Saudi Arabia. According to the director, he is thrilled to return to the country. “The third time was the charm, and it won’t be my last,” he said. “I am amazed at how this festival has grown in four years and see how everyone comes together to watch films from all over the world.”
According to Lee, getting “Malcolm X” almost sunk him. He pointed out that one of the biggest obstacles during development was obtaining approval to film parts of the film in Saudi Arabia. This was partly due to the difficulties of obtaining permission to film in Mecca, but also because Warner Bros. She was reluctant to finance filming in Saudi Arabia.
“Instead of shooting in Saudi Arabia, they said, ‘Why not shoot Jersey Shore in January?’ And I said, ‘No!’ And Warner Brothers shut down the movie. I was paid $2 million and put half my salary into making the movie. So we were stuck.”
While reading The Autobiography of Malcolm “It suddenly hit me like lightning: I know some black people who have some money.”
He told me how it took him a month to summon the courage to set out, wearing a headdress and accompanied by several dignitaries, to raise money for the film. He began by asking Bill Cosby before moving on to other prominent black celebrities, including Tracy Chapman, Janet Jackson and Prince.
“Every time I ask for double what the last person offered. The last two people were Magic Jackson and GOAT Michael Jordan. Michael was the last. He’s very competitive. So I let Magic’s offer slide – that’s how I got the financing. But I promised everyone I was going to My grave without telling how much each gift is worth.
Lee concluded his talk by revealing that he sees no difference between making documentaries and feature films, and in both cases he focuses on storytelling.
He said he considers his 2017 documentary “4 Little Girls,” about the murder of four African-American girls in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, his best work to date.
“The same week we opened the film, the FBI reopened the case and charged these criminals with murder. But they knew that the week of the bombing, in 1963.”