One Of The Films Of The Year

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2015)

Superb film led from the front by Miles Teller in the performance of his life, and a show stealing performance from JK Simmons who will be sweeping every award ceremony this season. The film does have some peripheral characters and story lines but in essence, its the JK and Teller show.
The tension that these two build up in the film with their heated exchanges and aggressive bullying tactics is ridiculous. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat the whole movie just waiting for this volcano to erupt.
As with many films though, a lot of crescendo throughout the film can lead to a real let-down of a finale as the tension built up just fizzles away like a firework that didn't go off. This is absolutely not the case with Whiplash. The finale is anything but a let down. I'll say no more on that subject.
All in all it's a fantastic film and is well worthy of its recognition by the Academy in this year's Oscar reckonings.