Film Review – Relay

August 21st, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

Relay (2024) carries the vibes of the conspiracy thriller genre prevalent in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Stories of whistleblowers exposing large, corrupt organizations has been a tried-and-true format for the big screen. This time around, we’re not just talking about a “David and Goliath” underdog story. Rather, it focuses on the means in which identities are concealed, information is passed from one hand to another, and the backdoor dealings that keep individuals out of harm’s way. The hook is in the details: the procedural like aspects people go through to take down seemingly invincible institutions. On the surface, this has the trappings of a compelling, suspenseful picture. How it plays out, though, might be a different story.

Directed by David Mackenzie and written by Justin Piasecki, the narrative drops us into the shadowy world of intermediaries who negotiate settlements between big businesses and former employees with evidence of wrongdoing. Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a recovering alcoholic who has gained a reputation for excelling as one of these “fixers.” He protects himself and his clients by diluting communications to the bare minimum. This is done in the form of relay telephone calls, used primarily for those with hearing impairments. Through a translator, Ash types out his instructions for an agreed transaction. Arranging an elaborate scheme involving the postal service, disguises, and misdirection, Ash makes sure individuals looking for a settlement get paid, secrets remain hidden, and all parties remain anonymous.

The central highlight involves the telephone communications. Mackenzie’s direction (along with Matt Mayer’s editing) jumps back and forth as Ash interacts with his clients. It’s a jarring dynamic at first. We see Ash typing away on a keyboard, a random translator speaking out the words, and then the client responding. It’s disorienting to see Ash talk to his client with a completely random person stuck in between. The sense of intimacy between characters is wiped away because of this extra facet. Sure, the editing does some clever tricks to work around that problem, such as removing the translator all together to make it seem like both sides are talking directly. But we never forget that Ash and his clients are basically speaking through a filter. It also got me thinking: If Ash and his client speak openly about criminal activity over relay, does the translator have any responsibility to report it? I get that the calls are supposed to be confidential, but where is the line? If the translator stumbles upon a murder taking place over the phone, do they act on it or just say “Have a good evening” and hang up? 

Riz Ahmed plays Ash – at least initially – as calm, cool, and collected. He knows all the angles, does his work like a chess master, and always has an exit strategy in his back pocket. Parallels are made between his job and his sobriety. The effort he puts into keeping himself and his client safe is the same as his effort to not see the bottom of a bottle. He reminds us of other career criminals who abide by a strict code – from Alain Delon’s hitman in Le Samourai (1967) to Robert de Niro’s thief in Heat (1995). Of course, we wouldn’t have much of a movie if Ash doesn’t stray from his rules. That is where Sarah (Lily James) comes into play. Sarah reaches out to Ash to help negotiate a settlement with a biotech firm, after discovering information that could put the entire company at risk. Now, she is being pursued by agents hired by the firm (Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson) to intimidate Sarah into giving the info back. 

The writing does not do a good enough job convincing us that Sarah is any more special than Ash’s other clients. He bends his sense of control, taking extra consideration for her because the plot requires him to do so. The morality of Ash’s profession is established, namely in the presence of a previous client who leaves him voicemails expressing their guilt over settling with an employer. That is where the narrative feels the strongest – having Ash hear his client suffering under the weight of silence. Their refusal to act could potentially hurt innocent victims. Unfortunately, that element is dropped in favor of Sarah’s predicament. Does Ash go to extreme lengths for Sarah because he feels responsible for the fates of previous clients? Maybe, but the film doesn’t explore that idea thoroughly enough. There are sequences where Ash and Sarah build a deeper relationship – mostly through a mundane flirtation about their musical preferences. But that connection doesn’t work as well because, again, their back and forth is done through a third person.  

Relay stumbles to the finish line with a clunky third act that works overtime to tie everything together. The biggest issue is with a late stage twist the upends the entire production. Not only can we see this revelation coming well in advance, it’s such a goofy development that it turns the entire narrative upside down. I don’t mind movies that have big surprises that make us look at everything in a new light. But it is so mishandled in this instance that it turns what is a relatively dramatic tale into something unintentionally funny. Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, and the rest of the cast do their best to keep things grounded, but it’s hard to do so when the plot wants to veer into more ridiculous territory.

I liked Relay…until I didn’t. It has good individual pieces that don’t add up to a complete whole. The concept was intriguing, and Mackenzie sets the stakes well in the first half. But the problem lies in the payoffs. The narrative meanders to its conclusion, grasping for a satisfying punctuation but is unable to do so. This is a situation where we can see a good movie hidden somewhere in the weeds, which probably makes it even more disappointing. The potential was there, but the film doesn’t manage to reach it.

Alain Delon, David Mackenzie, Featured, Heat, Jared Abrahamson, Justin Piasecki, Le Samouraï, Lily James, Matt Mayer, Relay, Riz Ahmed, Robert De Niro, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald