Spoilers for Whiplash lie ahead.

Straight out of cliché corner is the phrase ‘stick the landing’, three words that are being more and more used online to question whether a story – be it TV show, book, film, or game – can satisfyingly conclude. Especially in a era where, with blockbuster cinema in particular, the build-up appears to have become the most important factor, coming up with an ending that delivers feels like a magical elixir, the kind that’s eluding more and more writers and directors.

Just look at the last year or two of big blockbuster films. How many end with characters having a punch-up? With effects being thrown around, an explosion of noise and colour on screen in lieu of a satisfying story? Sure, some endings work, some really grab you get you invested. But the majority? Well, they’re just noise.

And it’s why I think 2014’s Whiplash deserves even more praise than it got on its initial release. Appreciating that this is an Oscar-winning film (and deservedly so) that won rave reviews on its original release (again, deservedly so), I’d nonetheless like to go out on a limb and suggest that the last 15-20 minutes or so is as tense, nerve-wracking and brilliant an ending to a relatively sizeable American studio movie as we’ve had of late (albeit a low budget movie, that was picked up by a studio afterwards. But that in turn ensured a wide release for the film, so I’m sticking with the description).