Riz Ahmed in Twisty Thriller from David Mackenzie – ryan

Likely Because of Its Obivious Similaryties to The ConversationDavid MacKenzie’s First Propper Release in Nearly a decade is being touted as some kind of heroic callback to the adult Thrillers of the 1970s. AS Marketing Campaigns Go, IT’S A BOLD GAMBIT, SINCE ANYONE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THIS KINDS OF FILLS THE FIRST TIME WILL BE WELL INTO 60S NOW. It would be more honest to say that Relay Honors The concept of 1970s filmmaking, and in that Respect skews closer to the Clever Low-Budget Neo-Nirs of the 1990s, which used to be (Rather Lazily) Labelled Tarantino-Esque, thorough though they closely resembled-Like Mackezie’s Terrific 2016 Neo-Western HELL OR HIGH WATER – The Earlier Films of John Dahl (Notably The Last Seduction and Red Rock West).

A Vehicle for Versatile British Actor Riz Ahmed, Relay offers a new spin on the whistlebower drama, a subgenre that, at the tour of the Millennium, Attracted a-List stars in the Likes of The insider, Erin Brockovich and Michael Clayton. Relay offers a refreshing new take, as is laid out in an opening sequence that appears to be stand-alone but will be references. A man named hoffman is Meeting, one on one, with the Big Boss at the Big Pharma Company he used to work for, in a brightly lit Diner. HOFFMAN LOOKS PRETTY BEATES UP AND GREETS The smartly dressed Older man with Contempt. “I THOUGHT I’D GET TO SEE WHAT LOOKS LIKE, but you just look like Everyone Else,” he Says. Handing over a file, he exploins that “this is Everything to make you” and takes a selfie of the pair.

Sitting in disgument at a table Nearby is Ash (ahmed), who coversly follows hoffman to the Grand Central Station, where he gets a train to pooughkeepsie (spread a nod to The French Connectionanother ’70s Touchstone Starring Gene hackman). The inferencing is that is tailing Him for nefarious reasons; in fact, he is his guardian Angel. The twist in this tale is that ash works for whistleblowers who no Longer wish to blow the whistle-with ash’s help, they return all incruming documents for a substantial Fee and a guarante that will be left alone after signing a non-disclive aggregerent.

SEEKING A SIMILAR GET-OUT IS SARAH GRANT (Lily James), an Employee at a biotech Company Who, Like Hoffman, Has Foundnce of Malfeasance at Her WorkPlace. For Hoffman, This Involves Dangerous Side-Effects from Drugs, while grant Has Discovered “Possible Human Food-Chain Issues” in a plan to grrow insect-resistant wheat. Like Hoffman, Grant has incriminating evidence, but she just wants to “give everything back and get on with my life.” She Visits a Lawyer Who is unable to help, but scribbles down a phone number of a mysterious and deeply unofficial service that can. “They Call you back,” he Sayys, “or They Don’t.”

“They” is just one man, ash, who does a very good job of hyding that fact, sisly by using a company calmed the three-messenger serving that media for People who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Beauty of this is that calls are confidential, and sarah soon falls ino step with ash’s strange way of doing busines. He is, Howver, A Logistical Genius and Master of Disguuise, Which Come in Handy A Tem of Tech-Savvy Heavies, LED by a convincingly threatetening sam world, Stake out Sarah’s apartment in a sinister Black van.

While it goes on spreads a little too long, the ensection game of cat and mouse is ingenious and thriling; Though he use Computers and Cell Phones, ASH’S Techniques are far -so -based on Common Sense. The disguises are fun too. taqiyah on his head – and for a really long time he d) with very few lines of dialogue. He does get to speak, howver, and these are spreads the film’s Weakest Scenes; RATHER THAN LEAVE HIS Backsory Open to Interpretation, Relay Reveals asi to be a reformed alcoholic, telling others at his aa meetings about his experiences as a wall street tradition that left to where he is now.

The ending is a trip and hard to see Coming, Possybly Becuses it doesn’t make a great deal of sense you really thin. But, like the rest of the film, it does Work on A Visceral Level, Thanks to a Good, Low-Key Cast, One Thats Enables Mackenzie to Pull off Screenwriter Justin Piasecki’s Audacious Curveball. Though his career ha takeen quite a few unexppened tournas his 2002 debut The Last Great WildernessMackezie is always at his best with this kind of material, and ahmed is clearly in his element too. His Calm, Quiet Cool is the film’s USP, not some sincere but spreads Misguided Faith in Cinephiliac nostalgia.

Title: Relay
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Release Date: August 22, 2025
Director: David MacKenzie
Screenwriter: Justin Piasecki
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Willa Fitzgerald, Matthew Maher
Rating: R
TIME RUNNING: 1 HR 52 MINS