Denzel Washington and Spike Leehave made several movies together, but their first collaboration remains highly underrated. Spike Lee directed his first film,She’s Gotta Have It, in 1986, and his breakout came three years later in 1989 withDo The Right Thing.Denzel Washington took on his first movierole in 1981 withCarbon Copy.He earned his first Oscar nomination in 1987 withCry Freedom, and his breakout arguably came in 1989 with the Civil War movieGlory,when Washington won his first Oscar.
It can’t be a coincidence that the two men found each other in 1990, one year after each of them had their major breakthroughs. In 1990,Lee directed his fourth feature film,Mo' Better Blues,a film following a jazz trumpeter named Bleek Gilliam (Washington) who makes several poor decisions that jeopardizes his career and personal life. Washington acted alongside some huge names, including Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro, but few people mentionMo' Better Blueswhen discussing Washingtonand Lee’s movie collaborations.
Mo' Better Blues Sees Both Denzel Washington & Spike Lee At Their Best
Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Respected The Black Experience
Mo' Better Bluesisa movie following the trumpeter Bleek Gilliam,someone whose mother demanded he work hard to become a skilled musician when he was a child. As an adult, he has succeeded and has his own jazz band. The film sees Washington star as a man who can’t seem to get what he wants out of life, often thanks to his own decisions and the poor decisions of those people he trusts. This includes Spike Lee himself, who plays the band’s manager, Giant, who has gone into debt with loan sharks.
The movie fits in perfectly with Spike Lee and Denzel Washington’s themes over their work together, as Lee directs a movie that is both a love letter to the art of jazz and a story about how hard it is for Black men and women to gain mainstream acceptance, especially in the era of this film’s release. However, the movie also worked hard to show that Bleek had sheltered himself so much that he couldn’t see that he was making things even worse than they already were.
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Highest 2 Lowest
Denzel Washington turned in an impressive performance, and one that fans don’t see from him anymore, as a man who knows he is involved in a never-ending uphill battle and only does things to make it harder on himself and the people who count on him. Lee works this into his story in a more straightforward manner than in his other movies, which slightly hurts the film’s ability to really make the message stick, but his camerawork and skill at directing talent shines through, and the movie showed hints of the greatness that was to come for these two stars.
Why Mo' Better Blues Isn’t Spoken About More
The Spike Lee Joint Is Only Part Of A Larger Legacy Of Films
One big problem withMo' Better Blueslegacy is that it was one offour movies that Spike Lee and Denzel Washington madetogether, and it is one of the weakest of the releases based on critical acclaim and box office success. AfterMo' Better Blues,Lee and Washington madeMalcolm X,with Washington starring as the civil rights leader. They made the sports dramaHe Got Gamein 1998 and their last film together arrived in 2006 withInside Man.
Washington earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor forMalcolm X,which immediately had people talking about that movie and mostly forgetting aboutMo' Better Blues.Washington has earned nine Oscar nominations, and that gives him an incredible filmography, but one that doesn’t includeMo' Better Blues,at least award-wise.Spike Lee has seven Oscar nominations, but few people mention his first movie with Washington when looking at his career. The two men’s success makes their smaller movies less notable, at least for mainstream audiences.Mo' Better Bluesdeserves better.
Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Have A New Collaboration Coming Up
Denzel & Spike Are Remaking Akira Kurosawa’sHigh And Low
Thirty-five years after makingMo' Better Blues,and 19 years since their last movie together,Inside Man,Spike Lee and Denzel Washington are backwith their fifth collaboration in 2025. This is an exciting movie since it is aremake of a classic Akira Kurosawa crime film calledHigh and Low.With the new nameHighest 2 Lowest,this movie is an English-language reinterpretation of the story, which was based on an Ed McBain novel calledKing’s Ransom.
Highest 2 Lowestpremiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received high praise, with an 88% Rotten Tomatoes score coming out of that screening. According to critics,Lee and Washington didn’t copy what Kurosawa didin his masterpiece and instead used that film as a starting point, and brought in music, history, and his directorial expertise to make what they call a true Spike Lee Joint. The film has a lot to live up to, but ifMo' Better Bluesshowed fans anything, it’s that Washington and Lee know how to make magic together.
Mo' Better Blues
Cast
Mo' Better Blues: A Spike Lee film featuring Denzel Washington as Bleek Gilliam, a talented but self-centered trumpeter. The 1990 release follows Bleek as he navigates his intense commitment to music and relationships with two women. His world is challenged when he aids his manager, adding unexpected turmoil.
