Whiplash

“Whiplash” is a cinematic thriller. Damien Chazelle takes the relationship between teacher and student and turns it into a suspense filled film built upon what it takes to make it in an increasingly competitive world. A promising drummer attends a cut-throat music school where his dreams of becoming great are mentored by a music instructor who will use ruthless methods to utilize a student’s potential.

The film opens with young Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) practicing the drums. Andrew is a first-year student at Shaffer Conservatory in New York, one of the most prestigious music schools in the country. He has been playing the drums since he was young and always aspired to be “one of the greats," as he mentioned in the movie. Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), the most prominent music teacher at Schaffer, walks into the room and listens to him play. Fletcher barks a few orders at Neiman and moves on, looking seemingly dissatisfied with what he heard.

However, he invites Andrew the following day to be a part of his core jazz band as an alternate on the drums. Upon his arrival to their practice, Andrew soon realizes that Fletcher expects nothing but greatness when it comes to playing music, and he will use any sort of methods to get his students to be the best. When Andrew is given an opportunity to play, he cannot seem to keep the tempo the song requires. Fletcher continuously asks him “Were you rushing or were you dragging?”, each time more furiously than the last. Because Andrew does not know the answer and cannot seem to play the song right, Fletcher resorts to hurling a chair at Neiman out of rage and slaps Andrew repeatedly to get him to understand the difference between rushing and dragging. This is an incredibly intense scene that forms the basis for the film and shows the abusive relationship between Andrew and Fletcher.

Fletcher’s ruthless techniques, to get his students to realize their full potential, is based upon the questionable story of Charlie Parker and Jo Jones that Fletcher loves to tell others. This story is about how Jo Jones threw a cymbal at Charlie Parker’s head when he messed up on a song, which pushed Charlie Parker to the limit. Charlie Parker went on to become one of the greatest jazz players ever. Fletcher likes to think that if he uses these same techniques on his own students, he will get his own Charlie Parker. These techniques include: throwing chairs, calling Andrew names, playing mind games, and physically torturing him by making him play the drums to the point of his hands starting to bleed.

In the final scene, Andrew is playing for Fletcher’s jazz band at Carnegie Hall. This scene shows major character development for Andrew because when Fletcher comments on his playing, he looks him dead in the eye as if to say he no longer cares what he thinks. Andrew continues to play what he wants and how he wants while leading the entire jazz band. He goes on to have one of the best performances of his life.

The last scene is the climax of both Neiman’s and Fletcher’s character arcs because both of their dreams come true at the same time, and they never would have accomplished this without each other. Nieman would have never become a drumming virtuoso had it not been for Fletcher’s brutal teaching style. Likewise, Fletcher would have never created a drumming legend had it not been for Neiman’s determination to perfect the art of drumming.

The shots taken and put together by editor Tom Cross and cinematographer Sharone Meir in the final scene are spectacular. The last performance scene begins with a steady camera browsing the jazz band in the beginning of the song, but steadily ascends into quick shots of the drums and the band throughout the song. These shots heighten the watching experience by making it seem like you are right alongside Neiman and Fletcher on stage. A moment of silence right before Neiman takes over the entire song displays a dramatic effect in the scene. This ten-minute scene has a sense of anticipation and excitement the audience is able to enjoy.

Miles Teller was outstanding with his role as Andrew Neiman. He finds the perfect blend between insecurity and confidence that comes with being in the core of an elite jazz band. Andrew is naturally fearful of making mistakes, but also knows he has a skill that is unique. Teller does an amazing job of letting us know how Andrew feels, and letting us see the fire that Fletcher sparks within Andrew.

J.K. Simmons walks the line of showcasing Terence Fletcher’s character beautifully. Even after all the inhumane acts committed by Fletcher, the audience still feels drawn to him because of how Simmons plays Fletcher. Simmons perfectly captures the mind of a man who thinks that an abusive degree of pressure is the only way to create a great musician.

While Whiplash is a notable film for the performances of Teller and Simmons alone, the quick-paced shots and tempo of the movie take it to a whole other level. It is captivating, particularly in a climax which creates so much more tension than many other thriller films. The title “Whiplash” seems perfectly named because once this film is over, you'll have it.