Highest 2 Lowest cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Denzel Washington movie

Highest 2 Lowest is a remake of High and Low, a 1963 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa. The remake is directed by Spike Lee and written by Alan Fox. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2025. A24 released it in theaters on August 15. Apple TV+ began streaming the film on September 5. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. A reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern-day New York City.

Highest 2 Lowest cast and character guide

1) Denzel Washington as David King

A still from Highest 2 Lowest | Image via A24

Washington plays David King, the CEO and founder of Stackin' Hits Records. His life is turned upside down after the son of his close friend is kidnapped for a $17.5 million ransom. Washington has been acting for decades and has appeared in films like Training Day, Deja Vu, and The Equalizer.

2) Jeffrey Wright as Paul Christopher

Wright's character is Paul Christopher, who works as a chauffeur for David King. He is also a close confidant and advisor to King. When his son is kidnapped, it pulls King into the entire situation as well. Some of Wright's most notable acting roles include The Batman, Lady in the Water, and Casino Royale, among others.

3) Ilfenesh Hadera as Pam King

Ilfenesh Hadera plays the role of Pam King, who is married to David King. She serves as a support system for David as he becomes entangled in a morally complex situation following the kidnapping. Hadera has appeared in films like Oldboy, Chi-Raq, and Werewolves.

4) Other cast members of Highest 2 Lowest

ASAP Rocky as Archie aka Yung Felon
John Douglas Thompson as Detective Earl Bridges
Dean Winters as Detective Higgins
Aiyana-Lee as Sula
LaChanze as Detective Bell
Aubrey Joseph as Trey King
Frederick Weller as Alex Cordova
Elijah Wright as Kyle Christopher
Michael Potts as Patrick Bethea
Wendell Pierce as Gabe
Andy McQueen as Larry Friday
Destiny Frasqueri as Rosa Fuentes
Isis Gaston as Marisol Cepeda
Nicholas Turturro as Frankie Da Lunatic
Jensen McRae as June York

More about Highest 2 Lowest

Highest 2 Lowest is produced by Todd Black and Jason Michael Berman under the banners of 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Escape Artists, and Mandalay Pictures. In a Rolling Stone interview, Lee was asked how his artistic vision comes out with Denzel. He said,

"I don’t have . . . That’s him. That’s D. You know, here’s the thing, though. He’s the star. He’s Jordan and I’m Pippen. [Laughs.] But it’s a team. You know, this is our fifth joint together, in order: Mo Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, Inside Man, which was done — it didn’t feel like it was 18 years ago. Denzel said the same thing. But there was . . . we didn’t have to relearn. I mean, it was like it was yesterday."

Highest 2 Lowest is streaming on Apple TV+.