Whiplash (2014)

*** out of ****

In 1987, Stanley Kubrick introduced us to Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in “Full Metal Jacket”. Played by R. Lee Ermey, Hartman was the archetype for a brutal, cruel and mean-spirited drill sergeant emotionally, physically and psychologically brutalizing the recruits under his command at Parris Island. The role was brilliantly played, and I never expected to see anyone surpass his level of viciousness in a similar role. But in “Whiplash”, J.K Simmons may just have done it.

Simmons is Terence Fletcher, the most revered jazz conductor at the Shaffer Conservatory Music School. To be in his competitive jazz band, you need to be the best of the best. Student Andrew Neimann (Miles Teller) wants desperately to be a great musician, and through a lucky case of happenstance ends up as the alternate drummer for Fletcher's band.

In reality, J. K. Simmons has the reputation as a bit of a teddy bear – one of the “nice guys” of Hollywood. But you'd never know it from how effectively he plays Fletcher, a nearly inhuman taskmaster who rules his players through fear, intimidation and humiliation. Punishment for Neimann's falling out of tempo is to have a chair hurled at his head, and for becoming emotional about it he suffers through racial slurs and personal degradation. But so determined is he to be “great” that he practices until his hands bleed, breaks up with his girlfriend to avoid distraction, and becomes a self-obsessed jerk to friends and family. Such, he believes, are the demands of greatness.

“Whiplash” tries very hard to be a great movie, and almost succeeds. The storyline is a bit too basic for it to reach this height, though it is very gripping. However I believe that the sway this film holds over the viewer is almost entirely about the performances – Teller is excellent as Neimann, but Simmons is a revelation as Fletcher. He pushes his character far past the line of what would generally be acceptable behavior for a “teacher” but despite his abject beastliness you still find yourself feeling some empathy with him. You understand that all he really wants is for his players to achieve their potential, and is simply really horrible at knowing how to get it.

Some developments later in the plot show him to be even more unscrupulous than originally shown, but you still can't quite hate him. Considering his actions and the words that come out of his mouth, that is quite an achievement. A truly wonderful performance from the first scene to the last.

And then there's the music. Now personally I couldn't be bothered for one second about jazz – generally I find it a cacophony of disorganization and ego. But in “Whiplash” the music is much more crowd friendly. I'm sure jazz purists will complain that it isn't true jazz – but I don't particularly care. It made for good subject matter, and the closing musical sequence was spellbinding to watch.

Overall an extremely enjoyable film, full of compelling performances. It's Best Picture nomination I would call worthy, but Simmons' nomination was a necessity. And in a strong field, I would have to call him the Best Supporting Actor frontrunner. A really wonderful portrayal of a fascinating character.