"70 Years As A Lamb Or 30 Years As A Lion?"

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2016)

Is it worth it? In my opinion, this is the major question of Whiplash. How much would you sacrifice to achieve your goals? How much are you willing to pay for success? How far would you go? These questions are the reasons why Whiplash is more like a sport movie. A guy wants to be the best at something, in the beginning he fails a lot, but in the end he achieves his goals and everybody leaves the theater with a smile on the face. A well-know sample, but NOT this time!
The real brilliance of Whiplash roots from being relentlessly honest. In the end Andrew gets the acknowledgment what he so desperately wanted, and Fletcher finally finds his Charlie Parker, but both of them got damaged on the path to glory and the aftermath of their actions will be demanded later. As the credits start to roll, the viewer feels that despite his talent and dedication Andrew will end up like Fletcher's previous student. It's not like a typical happy ending and the final shot foreshadows tragedy. It's such a refreshment to see honesty and objectivity.
Drumming sequences are intense, powerful and masterfully assembled. Every shot, every second, every hit on those drums makes your heart beat faster and takes you to a level where you've never been before. The final scene earned it's place in cinematic history and showed that even a ridiculously low budget film is capable of achieving breathtaking moments.
Performances of the two major characters were outstanding. J.K. Simmons got the recognition what he rightfully deserved (in form of an Oscar) and Miles Teller easily caught up with his movie partner. The chemistry between them was well-written and flawlessly presented.
I've had only one minor problem with Whiplash: the length of the movie didn't grant enough time for it's characters to completely unfold. It should have spared more time on it's character's development. Yes, we see the motivations on each side, but a little more depth - to understand their actions - would have been great.
It can't be denied, that Whiplash is a very unique film that genuinely presents how much does it cost to be the best at something. The path of success is made of blood, sweat, tears and self-destruction, so Damien Chazelle leaves the decision to the audience: "70 Years As A Lamb Or 30 Years As A Lion?"