Relay Review
Relay uses a fun and unique twist to ramp up an otherwise pretty standard corporate thriller, but while it holds itself together really well for most of the film, when the twist comes in the final act, everything goes south.
Ash (Riz Ahmed) runs a protective brokering service for whistleblowers who need a middleman to broker deals with the companies they have stolen information from. Key to his method is no contact; building failsafes and safeguards into everything he does - with his piece de resistance being his use of the New York City Relay Service; initially designed as a way for deaf individuals to have telephone calls by typing their responses in and having an operator read them to the other caller. When Sarah (Lily James) comes to him with her own information, looking to broker a deal to get her former employer’s dogs off her back, Ash starts to feel more than a professional connection, and gets sucked in deeper than he should be.
Relay is most interesting when it’s focussing on its hero, Ash, doing his thing in the way he knows best. When the film is diving into his unique usage of the Relay Service, it’s very strong. When director David Mackenzie leans into his forethought, and ability to plan out intricate file and money drops, it’s very strong. And when Riz Ahmed tackles Ash’s barely-there backstory, he’s very strong.
But the film falters a little when it comes to Sarah (Lily James), and the array of baddies coming after her. Particularly in the final act, the action is very poor. The fights feel laughably unconvincing, and some of the characters feel completely unbelievable with a gun in their hand. The one strong point in this area is Sam Worthington, who in fact seems to be having a lot of fun in this piece, and a lot of his physicality works. But ultimately, what starts as a smart, sticky thriller descends into b-movie action.
There’s still a lot to like here, and the first four fifths of the movie are well worth your time. It’s just a shame they couldn’t stick the landing.
