Review of Whiplash (2014) by Jeef1523 — 31 Aug 2015

Whiplash is a tense, orchestrated, beautiful movie, with a dense story that has a lot to offer, with great music and a greatly crafted script. The movie's highest points are the actings, the story, the unparalleled cinematography and great script, even if it's not a masterpiece per se, it is astounding and powerful in almost every way.

The plot presents itself very short and simple at first, as it unravels patiently to the rise of Neyman(Mile Teller) as a drummer. It seems very simple - but it definetly isn't, Andrew is a complex character in a tense environment, and Miles represents him very well. But even better, J.K. Simmons plays an excellent part, bringing not only the most tense movie's parts, but also many great comic reliefs and moments of reflexion. Every character in play brings an emotional tone that works very well with Neyman's saga.

Besides the great casting, there is an intense line of work behind the scripts and cinematography. Every other scene can be noticed a colour play or camera angles that contribute to the develop of the story. One such example is the varying of Andrew's clothes, or the great representation of the blood coming out of his hand when he puts it in the water jar. It is all so greatly represented with perfectly timed camera movements and unique representative takes that show a very thoughtful job.

Alongside this impressive line of work comes to great elements:the story and the soundtrack. The story itself is very good, with great script around it, and shows very little mistakes along the way, and builds up a excellent climax - something that few people would expect from such movies - it's attention to the the way of storytelling make up for most of the empty little holes it leaves behind. And to complete it all, the soundtrack is right on spot with the jazz mood, bringing many classics up to the table and giving their place on the spotlight.

In overall, the movie is probably not one of the world's best to date, but it definitely is one of the year's top 3, with unique composture, patient pace and astounding technichal work. It is one of the best musical thrillers made up to date.

9.