Whiplash--Movie Review

by Peter J. O'Connell

Whiplash. Released: Oct. 7, 2014. Running time: 107 mins. Rated: R for strong language, including some sexual references.

One of the most popular of movie genres through the years has been that in which a tough sergeant or coach, through tongue-lashings and various other forms of abuse, whips a group of rookies into winning warriors or champions. Whiplash is such a movie, but it is not set at Parris Island or a football field or basketball court. It is set at a music conservatory, and the “drill sergeant/coach” is the instructor of a jazz band.

As played by J.K. Simmons, the teacher, Fletcher, is a black-clad, homophobic, obscenity-spewing, chair-throwing, face-slapping tyrant who makes the characters played by the likes of John Wayne (The Sands of Iwo Jima), Louis Gossett, Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman), R.Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), Clint Eastwood (Heartbreak Ridge) and Gene Hackman (Hoosiers) seem like Mr. Chips.

Simmons, familiar from supporting roles in a number of films and TV series (notably the three long-running Law and Order series) and commercials, is like a force of nature here—tall, lean but surprisingly muscular, totally bald, and with a face as furrowed as an Iowa corn field in spring. He exudes command presence and makes us understand how Fletcher's “whippings” work to mold musicians. Yet Simmons is also able to hint subtly at some of Fletcher's psychological complexities and back story.

Simmons is matched in his skill at character portrayal by a young actor, Miles Teller, who plays Andrew, a shy but ambitious drummer in the jazz group, which by the way, often has to play a composition entitled “Whiplash.” Andrew goes from being completely browbeaten by Fletcher to being his admirer and, ultimately, his challenger. Teller's drumming scenes, when he becomes so caught up that he seems almost like a shaman in a sweat-soaked, bloody-fingered near-religious frenzy of simultaneous agony and ecstasy, are riveting. It's astonishing to learn that Teller did much of his own drumming.

Teller is skillful not just in the drumming scenes or his other interactions with Simmons but also in his scenes with Andrew's family and girlfriend, in which the way that a drive for professional perfection can harm personal relationships is poignantly brought out. Melissa Benvoist as the girlfriend is a lovely presence and gives a delicate performance that adds some quiet notes to the more intense, “jazz-like” feel of the main story, which has some surprising, even shocking, twists and turns.

Whiplash's direction, cinematography and editing (particularly of the complicated musical scenes) are all outstanding. Director Damien Chazelle should take a well-deserved bow for conducting this fine film, which was shot in just the amazingly short time of 19 days. This is a movie that captures an audience's attention like, well—wait for it—the cracking of a whip!