Denzel Washington and New York City vie for the spotlight in Highest 2 Lowest, and in the final tally, the two battle to a draw. Spike Lee’s latest joint—in theaters Aug. 15 on Apple TV+ Sept. 5—is equally awestruck by its leading man and its metropolitan setting,

From the opening moments of “Highest 2 Lowest,” Spike Lee’s remix-as-remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film “High and Low,” you should know that the filmmaker is here primarily for a