"Capitalist Tall Tales - Top Two Instances"

In the gritty streets of the Bronx, the story of "Highest 2 Lowest" unfolds. This new film, directed by Spike Lee, is a modern take on Akira Kurosawa's crime classic "High and Low" (1963), but Lee emphasises that it's not a remake, but a fresh interpretation of the material.

The film revolves around Denzel Washington as David King, a self-made successful man who faces bankruptcy despite being hailed as a hero by the media. His teenage son, Trey, gets kidnapped, and the kidnapper demands a ransom of $17.5 million. If King pays, he risks losing his luxury apartment, art collection, and music catalog, including works by Basquiat, Kehinde Wiley, Henry Taylor, Miles Davis, and Aretha Franklin.

The kidnapper is not Trey, but a mix-up occurs, and his closest friend, Kyle, the son of the chauffeur Paul Christopher, gets kidnapped instead. The pursuit of the kidnapper leads to an inevitable shootout and car chase.

The film transposes the conflict about social hierarchies into a story about appropriation and valorization of black music culture. Yung Felony, played by A$AP Rocky, is the Harlem rapper who kidnaps Kyle to demand ransom. Yung Felony is a big fan of King and a frustrated artist who becomes famous through this story and ends up in jail as a rapping celebrity.

Spike Lee presents a black New York beyond clichés, with an impressive cast that includes basketball legend Rick Fox in a supporting role. The exploitation logic of the culture industry, including media hype, is the actual theme of this film.

David King recognizes the voice of the kidnapper on a forgotten demo tape, leading to the solution. In the studio where Yung Felony is recording, King sits down across from him at the mixing board, gun in hand, and negotiates with him.

The film is underscored with plenty of dramatic music, adding to the tension and suspense. Despite the final happy ending feeling too neat, "Highest 2 Lowest" offers a thought-provoking exploration of capitalism, fame, and the exploitation of black culture. You can watch this capitalist fairytale on Apple TV.