Whiplash Review

      

On paper this film probably doesn’t sound great, the story of a young jazz drummer who works to be one of the greats. But this is a film about drumming, that isn’t really about drumming. It’s about whether the ends justify the means, is greatness a part of someone or does it have to be beaten out of them both physically and mentally. This is the Full Metal Jacket of jazz music, J.K. Simmons is brilliantly charismatic as the bad mouthed enigmatic band leader, and he’s matched just as good by the young Miles Teller. It has a brilliant visceral energy that from first scene to last it doesn’t seem to stop. It might lack in well written female roles, but that’s sort of the point, and the moments Andrew shares with Nicole are actually quite sweet. There won’t be another film like this for a long time. (High 5 Stars)