A rare gem.

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2017)

Movies are a lot like music. They require an ensemble of different instruments and talented artists to achieve a polished result. ''Whiplash' a thrilling low budget diamond in the rough, is a story about an ambitious young jazz drummer, Miles Teller, and his terrifying instructor, JK Simmons, as director Damien Chazelle whips up an aggressive, drama fueled symphony that could go down as 2014's most surprising movie. Not much is known of Damien Chazelle except that he has natural flair for the obscene and obscure, as the music room slowly turns into a torture chamber. Andrew Neyman, a student borderline obsessed with mastering the fine art of drumming. His soft and naive nature is pure cannon fodder for the volatile and barbarous Mr Fletcher, a character that cares solely for his orchestra and brutally discards anyone who dares tamper with it. As we see Andrew's relentless drive toward Fletcher's pursuit of nail biting perfection and approval, the film and its character's reach a primal arena reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket'. To say'Whiplash' is one of the years best films may be a stretch, but no-one can deny its entertaining and ferocious brilliance, pushed to the absolute limit by Simmon's charismatic presence. I look forward to Damien Chazelle's next installment.