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,

Spike Lee reteams with Denzel Washington for the fifth time in “Highest 2 Lowest.” The film is a new riff on Kurosawa's “High and Low,” set in modern-day New York around a music mogul's moral dilemma.

In honor of "Highest 2 Lowest," the duo's fifth collaboration, our film critic looks at the other films they made together.