To put it plainly, this is an extraordinary film. In terms of the basic story of a student-teacher relationship it not only has a slightly different arc but it is the execution and all the other elements, acting, direction, music, editing which make Whiplash an exhilarating cinematic experience of the highest order.

Since the story comes from the filmmakers personal experiences it strikes the right chord. An absolute must watch film!

“Whiplash” is a ruggedly ruthless and an honest film that’s definitely worth a watch.

Whiplash is a film that captivates right from the start and reels in the viewer in that seductive way only the finest jazz can…

In Whiplash, you get a film that is by far the most interesting and exciting musical in recent memory. You get a film that you’d be a fool to miss, a mistake for which you’d deserve to be stranded alone with music instructor Terrence Fletcher in a room for a day.

It’s tense, consistently compelling, and a dazzlingly original piece of work that you cannot miss.

Whiplash is a film that will haunt you long after it’s over. It shows us both sides of ambition and talent, and it does this remarkably. It’s not easy to make unsympathetic characters like Fletcher relatable, but somehow, the film manages to do just that. It is the perfect film for awards season, since it checks all the boxes without feeling like Oscar bait!

It’s a picture of the excruciating pain behind the music, bleeding fingers and bleeding hearts. These 107 minutes are absolutely allergic to clichés. Whiplash leaves you overwhelmed and exhausted, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself hooting for an encore.

Some might feel that the depiction of jazz here is too harsh. But then again, Fletcher’s approach is about mastering the underpinning forms and structures before a player explores improvisational methods. The taut editing (Tom Cross) is outstanding and Simmons outdoes himself. When the thumping tom-toms, trombones and tympani fall silent, what you are also left with is a career-topping performance (thus far, at least!) from Miles Teller.

Movies that deal with why people dedicate their lives to music, despite the uncertainty of career expectations, the constant expectations of performance and the demands it makes on their family and love lives. Whiplash does evoke this theme and dramatise it well despite all its regrettable missteps in narrative and characterisation.