Whiplash movie review

Here's what you need to know; Andrew Neiman has some big dreams, dreams he thinks he can fulfil in attending the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory. Things take a dark turn however when he realises his teacher; Terence Fletcher is a bit more intense than he thought, or could even consider reasonable. Pushing forward into the rabbit hole, Andrew's dreams of becoming a musical legend, under Fletcher's boot, are about to be tested.
No excuses, I'm a lazy fucker; my ability to manage time and get off my arse is about as impressive as Greece's Youth employment rates. And when it comes to movies, or anything really, I tend to gravitate towards sci fi and action, because I'm a sucker who thought Infinite Warfare was alright, so dramas and particularly films revolving around music are new territory for me. That being said, not long ago, an old high school friend asked me if I'd seen what he called his favourite film; Whiplash, and I said I'd hunt it down and give it a watch, a longer amount of time than I'm willing to admit to later, I finally did, so let's go.

This film, I'll be honest, is not what I was expecting, coming off of Shin Godzilla, this is, you might say, a slight departure. I'll start with what I didn't like in the film, which is for the first few minutes of the film, I didn't really get into the film's rhythm, as we are introduced to the film's main character; Andrew Neiman, who has a lifelong passion for the drums and wants to ascend to musical godhood. His character was interesting enough, no spoilers, he does make a decision in the film that I thought was stupid, but his desire to be the best of the best is something that's very easy to get behind, and I did come to like him a lot as the film came to its musical finale, before that finale though is a few scenes that I, to be honest, thought were a bit boring. This film, however, does a complete 180 the instant Fletcher walks in, and he is undoubtedly the guy who drives this film for me, because holy shit. Fletcher is a creature that the word arsehole doesn't do justice to, he is a complete dick for the vast majority of the film, and he has complete power over the room simply by standing in it. He's an intensely intimidating presence, and that is a massive part of what this film really get's right, the tension. Tension is something I love in films, that anxiety of watching it come down to the wire, knowing that it's all in this moment and one wrong move could spell disaster, and that is what this film gives, in abundance. The mental warfare Fletcher wages against his students is freaky, and while his motivations, very much like Neiman's, are easy to understand, his methods are most definitely not. The scenes when Fetcher is breathing down Neiman's neck are by far the best parts of the film, as the hatred you inevitably find yourself feeling grows, and the desire to see Neiman succeed becomes all that matters. It's hard to describe in a way, it's like what Norton says in Fight Club, about the volume being turned down, probably my biggest issue with the film is how much it slows down when Fletcher isn't there, and whether that's the film or the Fletcher is something I don't know. The direction in this film is also very interesting, I particularly like the way the director uses extreme close ups, and the subtly of those close ups, most notable, the final few shots of the film, which are masterful storytelling, without a single word, without even the full picture, literally, it's impressive as shit. This is a film that has a great ending. Many films have good endings, but unlike this film, the end is not the highest point of the film, the final performance at the end of this film is brilliant, as the psychological warfare really heats up, and both characters undergo a transformation; one that is the point of the whole film. This is a very short review, but this film doesn't have a crew of characters and massive story that I'm used to reviewing, and, being a little independent film, there's no big action moments. What this film does have, however, is exactly what I feel it needs to have; good music, a pair of interesting characters driven by relatable motivations, but to, in one case cheer worthy, and in the other case frighteningly extreme, results. And when the time comes, this film really hits a sweet spot of refined, edge of your seat tension, that it drags out, keeping you hooked at all the right moments, including the final moments, which are some of the most satisfying I've seen in a film in a while. I enjoyed Whiplash, and if you're in the mood for something a bit slower, and or more personal, and or more damaging to your health, Whiplash is definitely worth checking out.