With Highest 2 Lowest, the results are uneven, but magical all the same.

The moral twists that follow...have a simmer, but as soon as the plot moves onto the city’s streets the energy, in both the performances and Lee’s almost joyous camera moves, goes up a satisfying notch.

Hard to put it in a box. It’s got weak and strong elements. But once it ends, you realize that you’ve just been entertained.

It doesn't try to compete directly with Kurosawa. Spike Lee takes that narrative structure and transforms it into something else entirely. Louder, more excessive, more edgy, and profoundly New York. [Full review in Spanish]