When news broke that Spike Lee was remaking Akira Kurosawa’s crime classic High and Low, you’d be forgiven for feeling at least a little nervous. The director’s track record when it comes to reinterpreting beloved cinema is far from stellar: his 2013 take on Park Chan-wook’s cult classic Oldboy was less a reimagining and more a greatest-hits highlight reel that failed to capture the exhilarating yet queasy spirit of Park’s film.

Spike Lee going for a lighter tone, he achieves something different here, which makes Highest 2 Lowest easier to love in a way.