RELAY (2025) review
written by: Justin Piasecki
produced by: Gillian Berrie, Basil Iwanyk, David Mackenzie and Teddy Schwarzman
directed by: David Mackenzie
rated: R (for language)
runtime: 112 min.
U.S. release date: August 22, 2025
I once had a job where, occasionally, I would get a call from a relay service. What exactly is that, you say? It took me a while to figure it out, but essentially it’s a free telecommunications service that allows people who are deaf, blind, or have speech disabilities to communicate with others over the telephone. The intermediary service facilitates a conversation between the person with a disability and the person they are calling. Each time a call is made, the communications assistant (CA) asks, “Have you ever done a relay call before?” and instructs the receiver that any response has to be followed with a “Go Ahead”, so the CA knows to send it through to the disabled recipient. It’s akin to sending a telegram, wherein you have to say “Stop” after each message. Never would I have imagined that such a service would play a significant role in a thriller, but that’s what we find in the appropriately named “Relay.”
It’s the screenwriting feature-length debut of Justin Piasecki, who teams up with Scottish director David Mackenzie (“Starred” and “Hell or High Water”), for a modern-day tale of communication and surveillance that harkens back to the paranoid thrillers of the 1970s. The pair manages to maintain a fair amount of curiosity and tension within the first two acts of the feature. There’s a surprisingly palpable amount of suspense considering the relay form of communication isn’t all that compelling or engaging on a cinematic level.
The film opens in New York City, where we follow a character named Hoffman (Matthew Maher), a nervous fella who has visible facial scars from a recent encounter. He anxiously makes his way to a diner where he awaits a meeting with pharmaceutical CEO, McVie (Victor Garber), to discuss the required steps of a file handoff. Observing the situation is Ash (Riz Ahmed), a fixer who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and individuals who threaten their ruin. While maintaining a careful distance from the diner meeting, a disguised Ash makes sure Hoffman follows through with their plan, following him closely to make sure he safely boards a train out of the city. A completist, Ash listens to voicemail check-in messages from Hoffman and ensures all necessary steps are taken.
We then meet Sarah Grant (Lily James), who attends a scheduled meeting with an attorney to discuss damning information she’s held onto about her former employer. She worked as a scientist at a biotech firm called Cybo Sementis, working on a genetically modified insect-resistant wheat, and in the process of doing so, found an issue with the food safety assessment that would lead to cancerous side effects and global problems. She tells the attorney that she originally planned on going public, but now has no interest in becoming a whistleblower and wants to return the documents and avoid any corporate retaliation. The attorney declines to assist, but suggests she contact Ash, someone who specializes in such cases.
Sarah nervously makes contact with Ash, not knowing who she’s contacting since he uses the Tri-State Relay Service to maintain anonymity and confidentiality. He agrees to help Sarah and lays out a meticulous series of steps and procedures she absolutely must follow, exchanging the documents for cash. Concern is heightened when surveillance increases, involving phone taps and cameras that track all of Sarah’s communication and movement. Throughout their interaction, Ash operates without providing his name as he guides Sarah through mailing packages and communication codes. When needed, he watches her in person, keeping a secure distance and sensing her panicked state as she feels the pressure of being caught.
At the same time, Sarah’s former employer dispatches a squad of corporate mercenaries, led by Dawson (a prickly Sam Worthington) and accompanied by Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald, so good in last year’s psychological thriller “Strange Darling”), who are out to terrify her into giving up the information. Ash is determined to throw them off, and for the most part, he succeeds, but when his extra interest in Sarah is reciprocated, he’s thrown off his own game.
It takes a while for “Relay” to capture an audience, primarily because the actual relay process doesn’t make for a very compelling viewing experience. It’s almost like watching three people play a virtual board game, which may be interesting for some viewers, but for others, it’s akin to someone reading aloud game instructions to said board game. It becomes a challenge to get a sense of any real peril for Sarah or Ash when most of the action involves following specific details and directions via phone or screen device. It would appear those involved are aware of this as well, since a good portion of the story’s climax relies on a slack foot chase.
Regardless, Piasecki and Mackenzie do their best to create suspense, and, for the most part, they get there. That’s primarily due to the absorbing cinematography from frequent Mackenzie and the work from veteran production designer Jane Musky, both of which capture the sights and sounds of classic surveillance thrillers like “The Conversation” and “The Lives of Others.” What mainly made those films work, though, is the interesting characters viewers get to follow. “Relay” has some good supporting performances, but Riz Ahmed is generally the most interesting person on the screen here. At first, it’s easy to think that his character has some disability (considering the role he played in “Sound of Metal”, we know he’s damn good at it too), since he’s using a relay service to communicate, and when he’s not, we don’t hear him speak.
Gradually, we understand how this line of work suits Ash since he’s an introvert and a loner. Even when he attends AA meetings, he listens to testimonials rather than share his own experiences and struggles. His sponsor, Wash (an underutilized Eisa Davis), knows him well, and that could be due to her NYPD detective (which significantly factors in during the film’s conclusion) or because of their history togerher. We learn just enough about Ash to know that he offers his services from a desire actually to be of service to others. He doesn’t get off on it, nor does it feed his ego; he just wants to help.
“Relay” does a good job at escalation over time, as Mackenzie nails a few misdirections, but the whole thing kind of peters out as it nears its ending. There’s a reveal that has little payoff and isn’t quite the “ah ha” moment it thinks it is. Piasecki is a bit too ambitious for the story’s own good and winds up including unnecessary plot elements, attempting to be clever instead of innovative, resulting in a rushed and ridiculous conclusion. The ending of “Relay” doesn’t destroy the overall viewing experience; it’s just a letdown compared to what’s led up to it.
