By Cooper Hood
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are set to remake Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, and it breaks new ground for their partnership after 34 years.
Summary
- Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the first time in 15 years to remake Akira Kurosawa's thriller "High and Low."
- This project is a chance for the duo to explore new storytelling territories and break new ground in their successful partnership.
- The upcoming High and Low remake poses a major risk for Denzel and Spike as they strive to live up to the high standard set by Kurosawa.
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are set to do something they've never done before with their upcoming High and Low remake. The actor and director have had a long-lasting partnership over the last 34 years that has brought them incredible success. Although they have not made a movie together since 2006's Inside Man, the duo has finally reunited for the challenge of remaking Akira Kurosawa's thriller High and Low. Spike Lee will direct the new take on the original 1963 movie with Denzel Washington sliding into the lead role, previously played by Toshiro Mifune.
High and Low represents a chance for Denzel and Spike to work together again and expand upon an already impressive filmography together. The previous Denzel Washington and Spike Lee movies have taken different approaches, ranging from telling original stories to powerful biographies. Now that it is known that the duo will work together again on the High and Low remake, that alone is enough to get excited. However, the movie also means that Denzel and Spike will break new ground in terms of the type of story they tell.
High And Low Is Denzel Washington & Spike Lee's First Remake Together
Washington And Lee Have Made Four Movies Together
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By deciding to bring a new perspective to Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, the upcoming movie will be the first remake Denzel Washington and Spike Lee make together. Both have done remakes of popular and iconic films previously, but they've never worked on the same one. Denzel has a longer history with remakes thanks to new versions of The Magnificent Seven, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Taking of Pelham 123. Meanwhile, Spike's only previous movie that was a remake was 2013's Oldboy.
Before tackling their first remake with High and Low, Denzel and Spike's movies tackled a few different genres. Their first movie Mo' Better Blues was a character-driven comedic drama based on an original story. This led them to make a biopic with Malcolm X before doing a sports movie with He Got Game. It was after this that Spike and Denzel worked together again on Inside Man, giving their partnership a crime thriller. It's only now that the two men have found a story they want to remake together.
|
Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Movies |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Mo' Better Blues |
71% |
75% |
|
Malcolm X |
88% |
91% |
|
He Got Game |
80% |
83% |
|
Inside Man |
86% |
85% |
Remaking Akira Kurosawa's High And Low Is A Risk For Denzel & Spike
High And Low Is One Of Kurosawa's Best Movies
All of Denzel Washington and Spike Lee's previous movies together have been met with great acclaim, but High and Low is a major risk for them. This is because they now have to live up to the incredibly high standard that was set by one of Akira Kurosawa's best movies. Kurosawa's movie was almost universally praised upon its release. The two previously overcame the challenge of telling Malcolm X's life story, so there is hope that they will once again exceed expectations by remaking High and Low. However, trying to top Akira Kurosawa makes the remake choice riskier.
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