'Who knew drumming could be so tense?'

Rating: 9/10 (11 February 2015)

The first thing you need to know about Whiplash is that it is going to exceed your set expectations so just sit back and enjoy watching it. I first heard about Whiplash whilst I was sitting in the cinema next to my friend about to watch the third installation in The Hobbit trilogy, when suddenly the trailer came on and that infamous drum role began, slowly getting quicker, whilst segments of the film perfectly spliced in time with the drum role, building up the tension with it. In that 2 minute and 8 seconds trailer, it managed to be more intense than the entire Hobbit film, and when I realised that, I knew this film was going to be something else. And does this film deliver, yes it does. You're transported into the world of Andrew (Miles Teller), the young first year jazz-student at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory Music School, who wants nothing more in life than to be remembered, to be one of the greats. This character trait at times can be hard to watch as you just think what an ass-hole this guy is being, but that's the beauty of it as compared to Terrance Fletcher (J.K Simmons) he looks like a sweet and innocent like lamb being barked abuse at by the Big Bad Wolf from every children's story with a twisted sadistic side. But Miles Teller does capture the reclusive, I will be the best no matter what, loner type perfectly, watching him practise drumming and seeing the sheer amount of stress and pain it had on his life, just made me think now that's what you do if you are going to be the next Buddy Rich. But then there was J.K.Simmons who really took this role and owned it, from his first appearance on screen to his last, he had complete presence in the film, he was intriguing, brutal, and I felt I had to look up to him and wanted to hear his approving words of my Andrew. There were moments where he made me spit drink out my mouth with his quick but merciless lines that you could tell would shatter your bubble of confidence and leave you a hopeless, stuttering,mess. To moments when you just thought what he was doing was just wrong, and you couldn't believe that someone like that is actually allowed to be a teacher. The sound for the film was superb, having headphones plugged in whilst watching it was the best choice I have made in a long time. Whiplash and Caravan were perfect choices for songs to make cover versions of and really who knew drumming could be so intense? Director Damien Chazelle did a fantastic job with his debut directorial film, as the film was stylish with perfect smooth editing to link shots together for nice transitions between each shot and fitting well with the timing of the music to make you submerged into Fletcher's band. Which really contributed to the overall adrenaline rush you get from this film. Let's not forget that he also wrote the screenplay, which is also very well done, with a good pace to a satisfying ending, with surprising moments happening when you least expect it which is how the mood of scenes suddenly flip. All in all, this is an well-crafted, interesting concept, and highly entertaining film, which will have movie enthusiasts in awe and casual watchers with something new to try out.