'Whiplash' A Review

Whiplash is a jazz drama about a malleable student and his volatile mentor. Andrew Neyman(Miles Teller) is a drumming student at a prestigious music school in Manhattan. Quiet and unassuming he has no friends, is obsessed with drumming, but seems to be unremarkable in regards to ability. During a solo late night practice session Neyman is interrupted by Terence Fletcher(J.K. Simmons) the school's feared and revered conductor. Fletcher invites Neyman to be part of his Studio Band the school's most competitive ensemble. Fletcher is hard on his students, excessive, aggressive, manipulative, and even physically threatening. But Neyman endures the abuse, desirous of becoming "one of the greats".

Teller as Neyman gives an atypically restrained performance. His boyish charm is not evident, nor is the twinkle of rye humor he often displays. Teller is paired down, simple, driven by one thing only- artistic singularity. At first he is relatively affable but as the film progresses he takes us along his journey of focus and obsession where friendship and love are mere distractions. Simmons as the dictatorial teacher walks a razor sharp line between monster and caricature. He yells, he strikes, he insults, he constantly pushes but always, at the breaking point, he justifies, he softens. There is never a point where Simmons loses us, we may not like Fletcher but Simmons does the impossible job of making him not only understandable but incredibly compelling. Scenes with Teller and Simmons crackle with energy and anxiety, they are a battle, a power struggle. Simmons tempers Teller, driving him towards a transformation he may not be capable of.

The cinematography and editing are dark and percussive mirroring the drumming itself. Short and sharp, long and slow. The feel and flow of the film builds, rises and falls, seethes then peaks only to swell and explode. The film is jazz itself. Dark, passionate, dangerous, unpredictable. At the heart it asks "what is the cost of greatness?" then "is it worth it?"

There are many incredible scenes the description of which would only spoil their subsequent viewing. The culminating final sequence, however, is the best ending to a film in a decade.

Inspiring and disturbing. Whiplash is one of those rare cinematic experiences so effecting you are transported, from the darkened movie house to a world of sweat, blood, and the chatter of the snare.

Don't Miss It.