by Tim Gordon
For the past 35 years, beginning with Mo’ Better Blues and culminating in 2025’s Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have built one of the most enduring and impactful actor-director collaborations in modern cinema.
With five films together more than either has made with any other creative partner, their pairing has produced stories that blend artistic ambition with cultural resonance, forever altering the landscape of American film. Their partnership is an interesting one, rooted not only in professional respect but in personal connection; their families are close, and Lee has even cast Washington’s son, John David Washington, in BlacKkKlansman, while his daughter, Katia Washington, serves as a producer on Highest 2 Lowest. Off the set, their friendly rivalry surfaces in their sports allegiances; Lee is a devout New York Knicks fan, while Washington proudly bleeds the Los Angeles Lakers’ purple and gold.
Mo’ Better Blues — Setting the Stage
Their first collaboration, Mo’ Better Blues (1990), was more than just a stylish drama about the world of jazz; it was the spark that ignited one of cinema’s great creative partnerships. At the time, Lee was riding the momentum of Do the Right Thing, cementing himself as a daring storyteller unafraid to confront race, identity, and culture through a distinctly Black lens. Washington, meanwhile, had just won his first Oscar for Glory and was on the cusp of transitioning from a respected supporting actor to a full-fledged leading man.
In Mo’ Better Blues, Washington took center stage as Bleek Gilliam, a gifted but self-absorbed jazz trumpeter whose dedication to his art often comes at the expense of his relationships and personal growth. The character’s blend of brilliance and flaws allowed Washington to showcase a range that went beyond his previous work, suave charm, artistic obsession, romantic vulnerability, and flashes of self-destructive pride. Lee surrounded him with a powerhouse ensemble, including Wesley Snipes, Bill Nunn, Giancarlo Esposito, and Cynda Williams, giving the film an authentic rhythm and energy that mirrored the improvisational spirit of jazz itself.
What emerged from this first collaboration was an immediate sense of trust between actor and director. Washington quickly recognized Lee’s ability to draw layered, human performances from his cast, while Lee saw in Washington an actor who could carry the emotional and thematic weight of his films without sacrificing accessibility or charisma. Their shared ambition and mutual respect created the foundation for a working relationship built on artistic risk-taking and a belief in telling stories that matter.
In hindsight, Mo’ Better Blues wasn’t just a stylish, musically rich character study; it was a rehearsal for the historical epics, socially charged dramas, and genre-bending thrillers that would follow. The film proved that Lee and Washington could elevate each other’s work, setting the tone for a partnership that would define both men’s careers and leave an indelible mark on American cinema.
Malcolm X — A Career-Defining Collaboration
Their next pairing would solidify both of their standings: Malcolm X (1992). From the outset, the project was steeped in controversy. The screenplay, based on Alex Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X, had been bouncing around Hollywood for two decades, with public misunderstanding of Malcolm’s politics fueling heated debate over who should tell his story. When In the Heat of the Night director Norman Jewison was initially attached, Lee launched a public campaign to have him replaced, arguing that a Black director should helm a film of such cultural significance. His campaign worked; he was installed in the director’s chair, though saddled with a modest $28 million budget and strict studio demands to keep the runtime under 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Lee, who revered the human rights activist, envisioned the film as an epic retelling that would do justice to his subject’s complexity. Washington took a year off to immerse himself in Malcolm’s life, reading speeches, watching archival footage, studying mannerisms, while the production navigated intense scrutiny from some within the Nation of Islam, who were wary of how their faith and Malcolm’s assassination would be depicted.
With limited funds, rigid studio mandates, and a fearless sense of purpose, Lee and Washington pushed forward. Financial tensions came to a head when the production risked losing control of the film to a bond completion company until Lee rallied a group of prominent African-American private donors, including Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, to provide the funds needed to finish on their terms.
The result was one of Washington’s finest performances and one of Lee’s greatest triumphs. Supported by powerhouse turns from Albert Hall, Delroy Lindo, Angela Bassett, and Al Freeman Jr., Malcolm X premiered to critical acclaim. Washington earned a Best Actor nomination and declared he would never return to supporting roles. For Lee, the film cemented his mission to chronicle the stories of Black America with the same passion and specificity that Martin Scorsese brought to Italian-American life, Woody Allen to New York’s neurotic elite, and Sidney Lumet to the city’s moral gray zones.
He Got Game — Fathers, Sons, and Redemption
By 1998, Washington was one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, and Lee was continuing to evolve as a filmmaker willing to merge social commentary with commercial appeal. He Got Game was born from Lee’s love of basketball and his fascination with the intense pressure placed on young athletes.
Lee initially wanted Kobe Bryant for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth, but the 19-year-old NBA star turned it down to focus on improving his game. Instead, Lee cast Milwaukee Bucks guard Ray Allen, whose quiet intensity and natural athleticism brought authenticity to the basketball sequences.
Washington played Jake Shuttlesworth, a convicted felon temporarily released from prison, to convince his estranged son, the nation’s top basketball recruit, to play for the governor’s alma mater. While Allen’s performance carried the physical realism, Washington grounded the emotional heart of the story. His turn as Jake was brilliant and understated, a departure from the larger-than-life energy of Mo’ Better Blues and the fiery intensity of Malcolm X. Here, he embraced the role’s quieter complexity as a man burdened by guilt, regret, and a desperate need for redemption.
Behind the scenes, Lee pushed Washington to strip away his natural charisma and inhabit Jake’s flaws: his past abuse, his mistakes, his desperation. The result was one of Washington’s most human, vulnerable performances, proving he could convey commanding authority and emotional fragility in the same role.
While He Got Game was a modest box office performer, it has since gained a devoted following, praised for its unflinching look at the exploitation of young athletes and its willingness to grapple with the complexities of fatherhood, forgiveness, and second chances.
Inside Man — Mainstream Thrills, Subtle Commentary
After an eight-year gap, Lee and Washington reunited for Inside Man (2006), a sharp, stylish bank-heist thriller that became the highest-grossing film of Lee’s career. On its surface, the film was a crowd-pleasing genre exercise, a tense standoff between Washington’s Detective Keith Frazier and Clive Owen’s meticulous bank robber.
The project was originally conceived by screenwriter Russell Gewirtz, who envisioned a cat-and-mouse story in the tradition of Dog Day Afternoon. Lee’s arrival brought not only a distinctive New York sensibility but also an undercurrent of social commentary. In early casting discussions, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman were floated for key roles, but Lee was adamant about centering the story on Washington, whose star power and lived-in authenticity as a New Yorker grounded the high-stakes plot.
Washington, working with a screenplay that gave his character moral ambiguity and sharp wit, embraced the chance to deliver a performance that combined confidence with a touch of weariness, a cop navigating not only the chess game of the heist but also systemic inequities and personal frustrations. Lee rounded out the cast with Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, turning the film into a star-driven ensemble that gave each player moments to shine.
The film’s commercial success proved that Lee could deliver a mainstream hit without diluting his artistic voice. For Washington, it was a chance to flex his charisma in a contemporary setting while still inhabiting the morally gray space that had defined many of his most memorable characters.
Highest 2 Lowest — A Return, and Perhaps a Farewell
Nearly two decades later, in 2025, Lee and Washington reunited for Highest 2 Lowest, a contemporary morality tale inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. The idea had been percolating in Lee’s mind for years, but it wasn’t until a new screenplay adaptation aligned with Washington’s availability that the project came together. Initially, there was industry chatter about casting a younger star in the lead to reimagine the story for a new generation, but Lee was convinced Washington could bring the gravitas, control, and inner turmoil the role demanded.
Washington played a powerful music mogul whose world unravels after a kidnapping plot forces him into a high-stakes moral dilemma. To inhabit the role, he researched high-profile music executives, studying their command of rooms, their guarded public personas, and the private insecurities that can lurk beneath outward success. Lee surrounded him with a mix of established stars and rising talents, echoing his casting approach from earlier collaborations.
The production became a reunion not just for the two men but for several behind-the-scenes crew members who had worked on their past films. The shoot was characterized by an easy rhythm between actor and director after decades together; their shorthand was unspoken. Washington’s performance was a study in controlled intensity, his quiet moments carrying as much weight as his bursts of moral outrage.
The film blended taut genre elements with Lee’s signature social consciousness, examining ambition, integrity, and the price of success in a world driven by image and profit. For longtime fans, Highest 2 Lowest felt like a homecoming. Yet, now 70 and 68, respectively, Washington and Lee may have quietly reached the final chapter of their historic cinematic relationship. Washington has openly suggested in recent years that he has only a handful of films left before stepping away from the screen, and it remains uncertain whether Lee has another story compelling enough to draw him back into their creative orbit.
If Highest 2 Lowest proves to be their last collaboration, it would be a fitting capstone to a work that embodies everything their partnership has stood for: narrative ambition, layered performances, and an unflinching engagement with the moral and social questions of the times.
Legacy
Whether or not they ever join forces again, their legacy is secure. Over three and a half decades, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have proven that when two artists of singular vision find a common purpose, they can produce not just great films, but cultural milestones. Washington is considered to be one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Lee has influenced untold numbers of filmmakers who are advancing the craft. Together, they’ve challenged Hollywood norms, expanded representation, and created stories that are at once deeply personal and universally resonant.
Their five collaborations stand as a testament to trust, artistic daring, and the enduring power of cinema to reflect and shape the world we live in.