The 2014 film Whiplash, which is heavily inspired by the director’s experiences in a competitive jazz band, stars Miles Teller as drummer Andrew Neiman and J.K. Simmons as his abusive conductor, Terence Fletcher. Whiplash follows Andrew as he goes to extreme lengths both mentally and physically to be the core drummer in Fletcher’s elite music conservatory. Fletcher pushes Andrew to his limits in some uncomfortable scenes through a combination of torture and motivation as the latter wants to be one of the greatest drummers of all time. Andrew, who played the drums and even bled during filming those intense scenes, told Indie Wire: “I mean, this movie for me was by far the closest I’ve come to life imitating art. That came from playing the song.
“All those guys are real musicians so they’re really playing and I’m really playing the drums – and the music is complicated. I’m trying not to mess up. In the drum-off scene, that’s really all of us drumming as fast as we can and really expending ourselves, which is nice because it’s easier to be exhausted than to play exhausted.”
The film, now available on Amazon Prime after being removed from BBC iPlayer, has been hailed by fans.
One reviewer penned: “Whiplash is a modern-day masterpiece.” Another shared: “My favourite movie of all time. Nothing like it.”
A third echoed: “Amazing, intense, beautiful. What are you willing to give up, how hard are you willing to push yourself to reach greatness. No movie portrays this better than Whiplash.”
Meanwhile, a fourth said: “This has got to be one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. It holds back on nothing and captures the limits people will go to when it comes to certain things.”
A fifth added: “Unforgettable. The acting, the music, the story. It belongs with the greatest movies of all times! Watch it!”
Someone else, who gave a five-star review, said: “What is the cost of being the best in the world at something? Is it worth becoming a monster over? This is, without a doubt, one of the best movies ever made about this core theme. An all-time classic.”
