‘Relay’ Review: A Quietly Gripping Thriller of Shadows and Signals

With a plot that recalls the paranoid thrillers of the 1970s but a drier, more restrained mise-en-scène reminiscent at times of Jean-Pierre Melville, Relay is a suspense film where theme takes a back seat to execution. It’s not that the McGuffins tying the story together aren’t important—after all, we’re talking about documents proving crimes committed by corrupt corporations—but the intricate way Justin Piasecki’s screenplay sets the whole thing in motion becomes the real focus of the film. Or at least of its first, and best, half.

Directed by the always efficient David Mackenzie—the filmmaker behind that modern classic Hell or High Water—the movie centers on Ash (Riz Ahmed), a recovering alcoholic with a very specific and meticulously organized job. Ash works as a kind of broker between parties: he takes whistleblower reports from former employees who hold incriminating evidence against their companies—usually environmental violations or concealed product defects—and negotiates payoffs in exchange for the materials, while keeping a copy that can be leaked to the press if anything goes wrong.

It’s an unusual line of work, and the way he carries it out is even more peculiar. Operating entirely in the shadows, with no one knowing who he is or where he’s based, Ash communicates exclusively through a relay service, a system originally designed for deaf or hard-of-hearing users who can’t make phone calls. Ash types messages on an analog keyboard, which are then relayed by operators who read them aloud to the recipients—and vice versa. The guarantee of this system lies in the fact that, by law, these operators cannot record or retain any of the conversations. Whatever is said—no matter how conspiratorial or incriminating—vanishes into thin air.

Mackenzie stages this communication setup with clarity and precision, showing Ash typing while the operators transmit his words to unsuspecting third parties, patiently explaining how the system works. Add to that the endless security measures Ash employs—with the materials, the travel arrangements, the packages, his ever-changing cell phones—and the procedural side of his “mediations” becomes the most fascinating and original element of a film that otherwise stays within the conventional lines of the genre.

We first see Tom wrapping up a case successfully, only to be contacted for a new one. A woman named Sarah (Lily James) has documents exposing corruption at the company that fired her, and she somehow manages to reach Ash—a feat in itself. Meanwhile, a team hired by the company (played by Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson and Pun Bandhu) is tracking her down, trying to retrieve the documents without paying up. Through his network of intermediated messages, Ash tries to guide Sarah step by step, helping her evade her pursuers while keeping the deal alive.

For a long stretch, everything works beautifully thanks to Mackenzie’s dry, efficient storytelling. Ahmed doesn’t utter a word until half an hour into the film—and won’t say much afterward either, though he writes plenty—and the whole thing unfolds like a chess game of messages, traps, and feints. Then two things happen that threaten the flawless machinery. In classic Hitchcockian fashion, Ash begins to feel emotionally connected to Sarah, whose desperation he can’t ignore. And when she makes a mistake, Ash—like De Niro’s character in Heat—chooses to risk everything rather than walk away.

The first half of Relay is simply perfect: lean, taut, and convincing in its portrayal of Ash’s intricate operation that drives his pursuers insane (in that sense, it’s also quite close to Michael Mann’s universe). The scenes at his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings offer just enough background to give him emotional depth without breaking the film’s rhythm. But once the austere, procedural tone gives way to a more emotional and implausible terrain, the film loses some of its balance. Its flaws aren’t enough to ruin what came before, but the final result isn’t as tight as it promised to be.

(Potential spoilers ahead)
Another divisive element comes in the form of a late plot twist. Some will find it clever and well-earned; others will doubt its logic; and a few will consider it downright ridiculous. While not as shocking as Mackenzie might intend, it does force the viewer to reassess much of what’s been seen—and whether it actually fits. Personally, I find it somewhat inconsistent, though not fatally so. The problem lies less in the twist itself than in the conventional need for one. In fact, what follows the reveal is the weakest part of the entire film.
(End of spoilers)

It’s true that Mackenzie misses the chance to dig deeper into the social or political implications of the material, but Relay doesn’t aim to be a statement piece. It’s a sleek, quietly gripping thriller that uses that world as narrative fuel for its cat-and-mouse mechanics—and that’s where Mackenzie excels. Like his protagonist, he builds a system that works beautifully until it starts to tangle up. In that sense, Ash is his perfect alter ego. They’re two of a kind.