Relay hearkens back to the paranoia thrillers of the 1970s, despite its present-day setting. Riz Ahmed stars as a shadowy New York fixer who is so obsessed with maintaining his anonymity that he only communicates with clients and targets via a phone relay service. In our current world of AI and all-encompassing tech, his decidedly anachronistic communication method furthers the ‘70s throwback feel, recalling works such as The Parallax View, 3 Days of the Condor, and The Conversation.
Buy Relay Blu-rayIf you’re not familiar with phone relay services, they’re staffed by operators who act as confidential intermediaries between clients and their desired contacts. Ahmed’s character, Ash, can only be hired by calling the relay service, which in turn contacts him with the details. He’s so careful that he doesn’t even talk to the relay service, instead typing his responses into a keyboard device that transfers to the service for relay to his contacts. It’s a weird concept in 2025, but clearly acts as an effective firewall protecting Ash’s identity.
Lily James plays Sarah, a corporate whistleblower who reaches out to Ash’s relay service fearing recrimination for her actions. His job is to broker safe delivery of sensitive documents Sarah stole back to her former corporate overlords, in exchange for a large cash settlement and agreement to leave her alone. Of course, the bad company retains a team of armed goons headed by Sam Worthington’s character to intimidate Sarah, recover the documents without payment, and unmask her fixer, leading to an escalating game of cat and mouse as they all race to fulfill their objectives.
It’s tellingly odd to see James in a seemingly conventional damsel-in-distress role, making her later character development not entirely surprising, although the change happens so late that she doesn’t have much opportunity to really exercise her acting chops. That leaves the star turn entirely in Ahmed’s hands, and he runs with it, proving to be a captivating leading man stuck in an impossible situation.
Director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) maintains feverish pacing, amplifying the paranoia as we watch Ash and Sarah attempt to outwit their pursuers across Manhattan while also struggling with trust issues. The writing is smart enough if you don’t think about it too much, leading to a surprisingly accomplished thriller that deserves much more attention than it has received to date.
The Blu-ray presents the film in 2.35:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. No bonus features are included.
