holy hell what a movie

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2014)

*** this review might contain spoilers *** Been reading IMDb since almost its inception and this is the first time I've been moved to write a review.
The movie is phenomenal. It's grown in strength in the few days since I've seen it and all I want to do is see it again. Especially powerful if you're a musician or if you've ever embarked on any endeavor that's required years of practice to achieve excellence.
Some have remarked that it's not realistic and the behavior of the teacher would never be tolerated and that some of the plot is over the top. Probably true, but you know, it's a MOVIE. It's trying to tell a story. It's not a documentary.
The two leads are pitch perfect. Oscar nominations all around. I predict many for the movie as a whole.
What holds the movie together is JK Simmons' character and the control he has over the lives of his students. From the moment we first see him we understand that he's some kind of monster. There's something unsettling about him from the beginning and it never lets up. In fact it just builds and builds. There seems to be no limit to how far he will go to get what he wants. And Simmons just plays it perfectly. One of the scariest characters in a long time. The performance will stay with you. I can still see that fist clench in the air, demanding, silently but unquestionably, for everything to STOP! NOW!
And the ending. Oh, the ending. Can't give it away, but lord, what an ending. Musically it's fantastic, but the way the power shifts back and forth is just amazing. It's like a little movie all by itself.
I don't mean to give Miles Teller short thrift. He also does a great job. He seems to be a drummer himself because all of the drumming seems perfectly realistic. He reminds me of a young John Cusack.
As they say, see it.