Review #873: 'Whiplash' (2014)

For a film primarily focused on the relationship between teacher and student at a prestigious music school, Whiplash actually feels like one of the best American thrillers in years. Yes, it is about one young man's struggle for absolute greatness in his field and poses questions about how hard one should push themselves to achieve artistic integrity, but it is the verbal sparring between lead Miles Teller and the scene-stealing J.K. Simmons, and the sight of Teller pounding his drums to dizzying effect while his palms gush with blood, that really causes the heart to race.

Andrew Neiman (Teller) is a first-year jazz drummer attending Shaffer Conservatory, playing as an alternative to core drummer Ryan Connolly (Austin Stowell). When his class is paid a visit by notorious conductor Terence Fletcher (Simmons), Andrew is given a brief moment to shine and is bumped up to Fletcher's class with immediate effect. He again plays as alternative, this time to core Carl Tanner (Nate Lang), and believes he's bound for greatness until he is asked to perform 'Whiplash', a particularly tricky - and extremely fast - jazz number. When Andrew struggles to keep to Fletcher's tempo, he has a chair hurled at him and is emasculated in front of the class. And so begins a tirade of mental abuse as Andrew strives for his master's acceptance.

J.K. Simmons quite rightly won the Best Supporting Actor at this year's Oscar's for his terrifying portrayal of a passionate yet sadistic man. His drive is his desire to a find a new Charlie 'Bird' Parker, who, as the legend tells it, had a drum symbol hurled at his head during a disastrous early career performance. Rather than being deterred, Bird practised his arse off and, of course, the rest is history. Fletcher beats down on his students, shattering them with verbal assaults as they try to prove themselves worthy. Only Fletcher doesn't seem to have a limit; they are not on his tempo, as he repeatedly tells them. He wears black t-shirts, has muscly arms, and a giant, zig-zagging vein pulses on his forehead. He is a formidable presence, highly charismatic and, in the end, almost sympathetic.

Teller is impressive too. A drummer in real life from a young age, he appears in every scene of the film, and pours his blood and sweat (literally) into the extremely physical musical performances. His showdowns with Fletcher provide the spine of the film, but the intimate moments with Andrew alone, pounding his drums as his face twists and turns, that provide the brain. Is the sacrifice truly worth it? We see Andrew push his body to dangerous limits, isolate himself from his family and his concerned father (played by Paul Reiser), and call for an early day on a brief relationship with a girl from his local cinema (Melissa Benoist). Just when the plot seems to be steering into conventional territory at the finale, director Damien Chazelle provides one of the most satisfying climaxes in recent memory. It's a dizzying orgy of cuts, close-up's and sheer style, which is as toe-tapping as it is awe-inspiring.


Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie