Director: Damien Chazelle.

Producer: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, Michel Litvak & David Lancaster.

Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics.

Writer: Damien Chazelle.

Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser & Melissa Benoist.

Music: Justin Hurwitz.

Editing: Tom Cross.

Cinematography: Sharone Meir.

Budget: $3.3 million.

Box Office: $49 million.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins.

Certificate: 15

Release Date: January 16th 2015

Out of all the 2015 Oscar contenders, Whiplash was the film I was looking forward to the most (along with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). This was due to the incredible trailers, it’s cast with J.K. Simmons easily being the standout and its premise. With its own Oscar winnings, by picking up Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing, Whiplash looked set to be an amazing film!

Whiplash follows Andrew Neiman, a Jazz drummer studying at one of the best music schools in America. He quickly catches the attention of the enigmatic conductor of the lead-band, Terrence Fletcher who gives Andrew a place in his band. Once he gets involved, however, it’s revealed that Terence is akin to a musical drill-sergeant who frequently insults, abuses and belittles his band members until they attain perfection. Andrew’s social life starts to deteriorate, including a relationship that barely got started before he calls it quits, as well as his family life in his goal to not just be “great”, but to be “one of the greats”.

Whiplash immediately grabbed me in from the very start, as you see Andrew practicing on the drum set and you see Terrence Fletcher walk in. This is where the character first makes his mark. Terrence Fletcher is a brilliant, BRILLIANT character who deserves the title of “Greatest Arsehole movie character”. He’s an intimidating powerhouse of a man and J.K. Simmons gives 110% into the role. His insults he gives to his students would easily make it into a Top 100 Film Insults list, because they are BRUTAL and quotable and I even laughed at some of them even though I probably shouldn’t. Simmons definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, as there was literally no question that he should win.

Miles Teller should not be underlooked though, as Miles gives a brilliant performance as Andrew. It’s a very human and relatable performance and character, as Andrew has to work his absolute hardest in order to gain perfection. Andrew LITERALLY pours his sweat, blood and tears onto his drum-set as a result of frequent practising and its scenes like this that honestly makes it hard to watch, and you really feel sympathy for Andrew. Andrew is a relatable character, as the audience may have experienced a similar scenario in school, college, university or work, where you have to study and work your ass off to really polish this piece of work you have to hand in. And if you were under pressure or had a teacher like Fletcher, then you can relate even more!

Whiplash’s structure is magnificent, as the film moves at such a brisk pace that it just flew by! There are no weak or fluff scenes, so therefore, the editing by Tom Cross is top notch and it was very well deserved with its win for Best Editing at the Oscars. But what really sets the bar high is the sound mixing! The overall sound in Whiplash is so good, as the pounding and the crashing of the drums and the repeated hammering of the drum solos was actually a pleasant listen for me believe it or not! Back to the pacing and the editing, Whiplash was a film I was not bored at and I wanted more after the film, as it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Damien Chazelle has been a screenwriter for a small number of films that include Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (which he also directed, produced, edited and did the cinematography for), The Last Exorcism Part II, Grand Piano, 10 Cloverfield Lane and he will also be directing and writing the musical/comedy, La La Land next year. Chazelle is a smart guy and he needs to do more directing and writing films, as that is clearly what he excels at. The screenplay in Whiplash is another script that I legitimately want to study and read (others include: Avengers Assemble, The Terminator and T2: Judgement Day, Jurassic Park, The Hangover, Back to the Future, Tim Burton’s Batman and American Psycho) as it is very well written with great character moments  and dynamics between Andrew and Terrence Fletcher and like I said, some of the one-liners are quotable. Chapelle does a tremendous job of directing, as the shots he uses, like Andrew playing extensively on his drum-set and closeups of sweat particles going onto the drums really does paint emotions inside the audiences’ heads and helps to get across the intense situation that Andrew is in. Even shooting the city which Andrew lives in is something that Chazelle accomplishes with ease.

The music isn’t something I can write about extensively about, as it is very similar to the sound mixing: very well done and incorporated. The sounds of the orchestra, with the various keyboards, strings and violins, it all sounds beautiful and I enjoyed every minute of it and it really was music to my ears.

The final act of the film was unquestionably the best, as it completely surprised me and took me off guard. It offers a strong character dynamic between Andrew and Fletcher and seeing these two titans clash with each other and slowly gaining each other’s respect bit by bit is very pleasing to see. And the final drum solo from Andrew, as he leads Fletcher’s band with a song, completely to his surprise and its so compelling to watch and when the film ended; I wanted more, and wanting more from a film that has ended is definitely not a bad thing at all!

Overall, Whiplash is magnificent, powerhouse of a film that completely surprises you and takes you in with its characters; two of them are two titans going against each other and are brilliantly written. J.K. Simmons gives an outstanding performance and absolutely OWNS the entire film, hands downs, while Miles Teller gives a relatable and staggering performance as Andrew. Damien Chazelle gives his best efforts at directing and writing and it all ends up to make Whiplash a powerful watch that you will never forget anytime soon! Certainly, one of 2015’s greatest. Not just the greatest, but “one of the greats”.

10/10