WHIPLASH  4.0***

 

           “Whiplash” is, basically, a “duel to the death…almost”  between an exceptional drum student Andrew (Miles Teller) and his teacher/mentor Terence Fletcher (J.K .Simmons). Sounds boring, right? Not one bit. This movie has as much action as the best thriller. It has been nominated for Oscar’s Best Picture but is not expected to win.

Front and center of this movie is the BRILLIANT portrayal of Fletcher by Simmons . It is a "tour-de-force" …. one of the best acting performances of  2014. . Fletcher is menacing, sharp, cutting, brilliant and, yes, somewhat vulnerable or appears to be. It is this last trait (whether real or pretended) that  makes the character a puzzlement. For if he appeared to be all blunt force and bravado, the character would seem too one note. But he is not, he is complex. This astonishing performance as a terrifying bully has rightly earned him a nomination for Oscar’s Best Supporting Actor which he WILL win.

Of course, a performance like this would not be memorable if he did not have a strong performer to play against and Miles Teller more than holds his own . Teller  is superbly credible as the aspiring drummer Andrew, and amazingly performs much of the drum scenes himself.

Director and writer Damien Chazelle brilliantly crafts this film about drumming - DRUMMING! -  and the final performance/showdown between Teller and Simmons is spell-binding. The fact that it is a 9 minute drum solo makes it quite remarkable indeed.

Gut-wrenching and enthralling, this film will leave you emotionally drained but rewarded.. This is in the “must see” category for Simmons’s performance if nothing else.

 

It has pretty much finished its theater run and should be available soon on home video.

 

Rated R for strong language including some sexual references.

 

Clark