Relay: An Effective Throwback Paranoia Thriller

Those looking for an old fashioned paranoia-based thriller need not look elsewhere. Premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Relay shows an adept understanding of the classics, delivering a suspenseful ride through the lens of corporate intrigue and malfeasance in the longstanding battle of corporation against the prototypical little guy. Not bringing anything new to the table in regards to that discussion, what it does bring is an interesting perspective, though one whose promise is unfulfilled, as Riz Ahmed shines as an intermediary that made a business out of putting himself in the middle of that battle. Making for a compelling figure at the center of this mystery, the film chooses to keep him as more of an enigma. Here, the focus of his attention is Lily James, an emotionally exhausted woman in need of his services. Nowhere near a damsel in distress, their evolving dynamic over the course of the film will keep audiences on the edge of their seats as they find themselves in the crosshairs of those looking to silence them. That being said, their ordeal would be far from a simple one as their journey was met with plenty of twists and turns as it evolved along with the increasing lengths taken to stop them.

Relay takes its name from the real world service that the deaf, hard of hearing, or those with speech disabilities use to place and receive phone calls. In the case of this film, the service is used by companies who don’t want their ugly secrets getting out, and whistleblowers that may or may not expose them but tend to opt for a payoff in exchange for signing a non disclosure agreement. A process that is meant to be completely secure, it was only a matter of time until that was no longer the case. The story follows Ash (Ahmed), a loner type who mostly kept to himself, working for the Relay service out of his own appartment. Meanwhile, Sarah (James), a former scientist working for a bioengineering company that has created a bioengineered, insect-repelling grain designed to help impoverished countries. However, that same grain also has worrisome side effects. Despite this, the news was not enough to stop the company to sell the grain, in advance of a potential billion dollar acquisition. A predicament that could potentially put the lives of millions at risk, Sarah took vital documents from the company and sought help in the matter of blowing the whistle on them, eventually ending up with the Relay service and Ash.

Using the Relay service to communicate with one another and exchange vital information, scenes between Ash and Sarah played out as a bit of a cat-and-mouse game. To her credit, Sarah could take care of herself while following Ash’s specific instructions. However, a group of operatives, presumably dispatched by her former employers, subjected her to a targeted campaign of harassment and intimidation geared towards getting back the documents she took. Working for both sides, the Relay operators worked diligently both day and night to relay information and instructions, essentially directing traffic. Above all else, this operation was not cheap for all those involved. Working as her guardian from behind-the-scenes, the dynamic between Ash and Sarah was an interesting one. As the fruit of the labor of all the involved parties during the first half of the film starts to manifest in the second half, the action and the stakes ramp up as the characters stop operating from a distance and take to the streets once they can no longer hide. Without giving anything away, where the film falters is its trek to the finish line, attempting to resolve its storylines to create a satisfying conclusion.

On a technical level, great sound design and excellent cinematography set the tone, putting audiences right into the action and making its New York City setting another character in the story. For a film that leans heavily on phone calls and phone conversations, it handles that complex dialog in a harmonious way that reflects how real phone conversations work. Similarly, it is shot with such a confident flare that is worth applauding. As mentioned, another aspect where the film falters is how it handles Ash. A character that is meant to be an enigma, the question of how much to include (or not include) is one that it doesn’t quite get right. Going a bit out of its way to humanize him as a means to explain his motivation, it arguably takes away from his mystique of the hoodie-clad, tech-savy knight in shining armor. Despite not speaking for much of the film’s first half, it doesn’t matter since Ahmed is so watchable as he makes up what characterization may or may not be there, carrying the film through sheer charisma alone. On the other hand, James and Worthington help move the story forward nicely.

In the end, Relay is an effective paranoia thriller that may not seem the most realistic in today’s day and age, but it delivers some classic suspense and flare, all led by the uber charisma of Riz Ahmed.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.