While the tried and true 90s thriller genre has all but expired, 2025 has seen a bit of a resurgence. “Relay” is very much the kind of movie we use to get all the time; a taut corporate thriller that executes its tropes with masterful skill and great effect, owning every bit of its genre framework and unfolding with thrilling, propulsive energy. Thrillers like “Relay” as well as other recent outings like “Black Bag,” “Drop,” and “The Amateur” that all have varying degrees of effectiveness harken back to a simpler time where movies used to be fun instead of bogged down by their IP corporate overlords and box office dominance.
These movies are completely “me” coded, and “Relay” scratches that nostalgic itch and left me with a big old smile on my face the whole time. I love these kinds of movies, and even though this one has a rather divisive ending that will either lock you in further or undo all of its goodwill, it makes the most of its intriguing premise and left me wanting more of this kind of cinema more often.
Directed by David Mackenzie (“Hell or High Water“) from a script by Justin Piasecki, “Relay” stars Riz Ahmed as Tom, a secretive fixer who brokers payoffs from corrupt corporations for whistleblowers and protects them from retaliation through blackmail. To hide his identity from the powerful forces pursuing both him and his clients, Tom communicates exclusively through a phone-to-text relay system used by the hearing impaired. These calls are never recorded by law, allowing him to remain anonymous while also being able to have highly sensitive conversations with both his clients and corporations without recourse or documentation. Tom is guided by a strict set of rules that force him to live a solitary, minimalist lifestyle in which he never gets too close to any of his clients. That is until he meets Sarah (Lily James) a scientist with a damning dossier exposing a highly carcinogenic biotech product set to launch globally. As he takes her on a client he finds himself breaking his rules to protect her that threaten to undo all of his work all while they are both being pursued by corporate mercenaries. It also stars Sam Worthington (NOT is his CGI blue alien rendering this time), Willa Fitzgerald, Victor Garber, Jared Abrahamson and Matthew Maher.
Mackenzie is in his wheelhouse here, embracing the unique premise and delivering a thrilling game of cat and mouse as he expertly moves the “Relay” pieces across the narrative and confidently commanding his thriller vision. I love when a director knows his genre and rather than subvert it at every turn opts to dive head first into them. Riz Ahmed is everything Rami Malek wished he could be (I said what I said and will not apologize for being right), imbuing his character with just the right amount of oddity and social akwardness necessary to sell his work instead of being so odd all the time he’s never believable in any role.
Ahmed is really good at this, and anchors this movie even when the plot starts to get a little too overcomplicated. James is always great even if the project isn’t, and their chemistry feels natural and organic despite sharing very limited screen time and forced to create a budding relationship via phone-to-text conversations. “Relay” frames these very well and the device keeps you enthralled and entertained the whole way through.
It’s nice to see Sam Worthington do anything other than “Avatar.” While he’s not really used much here, he’s having a great time as the ruthless leader of a corporate merc team. The cast all understand the assignment, and without a weak link it allows this thriller to stay consistently gripping and exciting. There’s a particular chase sequence in an airport that – despite having literally no action in the traditional sense – moves with such thrilling pacing and clever ideas it leaves you with the same sense of exhilaration.
I was locked in from the start, and Mackenzie proves he can make a bunch of people running around talking on cellphones some of the most thrilling action you’ll see on screen. He reunites with his longtime cinematographer Giles Nuttgens, and the film looks great. Shifting color pallets, off centered framing, window city landscapes all create a sharp aesthetic that only enhances the thrills and suspense. Sleek and suspenseful in all the ways a thriller should be, “Relay” is near perfect genre thrills, gripping and exciting from start to finish – that is until the divisive third act and hard left turn.
It didn’t throw me off the scent as much as others, but its hard shift and third act reveal moves a rather grounded and highly effective thriller to start to fall into ridiculous, almost silly territory. “Relay” feels a little front loaded because of this, the journey more interesting than the pay off. I have to give it credit for going to places that were genuinely surprising. I pride myself in being able to figure things out or at least identify a path pretty early, and while your milage may vary on where it goes, it keeps itself truly unpredictable with its heavy gear shift. It doesn’t come off the rails entirely for me, but it does ask a lot of the viewer in those final moments and challenges you to go farther than you might have anticipated.
All in all, “Relay” is a well crafted, taut, clever thriller that works best when operating within its genre confines. It manages to blend formulaic thriller tropes with unpredictability and arresting intrigue, something we just don’t see in cinema all that often anymore. It’s a good time at the movies and will keep you guessing, and while I can acknowledge where and why viewers may get off the train, I had an absolute blast with this one. It is a true homage to old school thrillers, a thrill ride that knows what it is and knows what it wants to do and delivers on everything you could want out of a genre film like this. It’s hard not to have a good time with this film, and if you’ve been longing for a twisty, edge of your seat thriller, “Relay” is for you.
Your dad is gonna love it when it inevitably shows up on FX, and for once I actually mean that as a compliment.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
“Relay” is in theaters August 22nd. You can watch the trailer below.
