By: MJ Asuncion
Inspired by classic 1970s conspiracy films, the action film Relay takes its place amongst the best suspense thrillers of its time. It has a refreshing new spin on the high-stakes world of espionage and corporate whistleblowers. Relay had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and its US premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a world class “fixer” who lives in the shadows and off the grid, specializing in protecting whistleblowers from powerful and corrupt corporations who threaten their very existence. The clients don’t know his name and never meet, see or even hear him, as he only communicates with them via a messaging and relay service. His latest client, Sarah Grant (Lily James), is a research scientist who is in possession of a dossier exposing a highly carcinogenic biotech product that her previous company will go to great lengths to make disappear. Ash and Sarah find themselves up against a ruthless team of mercenaries threatening not only Sarah’s life but also risking the exposure of Ash’s identity, as well as the identities of all his previous clients. Nothing is as it seems and each side is racing against the clock to outsmart the other.
At the center of the story is the riveting performance of Riz Ahmed as Ash. In Relay, when Ahmed is on the screen you can’t take your eyes off of him. The intensity in his eyes and his ability to convey so much with just the slightest shift in his body language is captivating. He exudes an effortless charm that jumps off the screen. It’s notable Ahmed and Lily James, who plays whistleblower Sarah Grant, are able to build great chemistry without physically being together. The extremely capable Lily James gives a deeply layered performance with profound emotional depth and energy despite essentially acting opposite a phone. Other notable performances include Sam Worthington and Willa Fitzgerald, leading the group of relentless mercenaries chasing Ahmed’s and James’ characters.
The film is directed by David Mackenzie, well known for his trademark of gripping, dramatic, tension-filled storytelling. The world of the whistleblower fascinated Mackenzie, thus he decided to take on the screenplay written by Justin Piasecki. It is hard to believe that this is Piasecki’s first screenplay and that it was floating around for a few years before it was picked up by MacKenzie. The film’s cleverly written story, using Manhattan essentially as another character and the expert eye of Mackenzie in creating such interesting shots, many within very tight spaces, brings Relay to an extraordinary level.
The film is smart, super quick, highly entertaining and filled with twists and unexpected surprises from start to finish. The phone-to-text relay service is at the center, heightening the intrigue and mystery, but also sometimes providing a needed comedic break. The acting is superb and believable, and the paranoia the film generates feels real. I thoroughly enjoyed Relay in its entirety and can’t wait for audiences to have a chance to see it when it theatrically releases on August 22, 2025.