R | 1h 52m | Conspiracy, Thriller | 2025
The subject matter is the David-and-Goliath struggle between ordinary people and the dangerous corporations they work for. These businesses are determined to protect their dirty secrets at all costs.
The Fixer
Ash (Riz Ahmed), a lonely and secretive recovering alcoholic, operates outside the law as a “fixer.” He arranges payoffs between corrupt corporations and their whistle-blowing former employees who threaten to expose the powerful organizations’ unethical practicesHe also brokers deals for workers who have inadvertently uncovered the unethical dealings of the ruthless corporations they work for. These innocent employees seek him out for protection from harassment and for assistance in getting their lives back.
Ash’s dangerous job entails staying just out of reach of the diabolically shrewd former military operators-turned-mercenaries, hired by corporations for purposes of espionage. If they detect his presence, they will hunt him down and erase his existence. Despite his morally ambiguous profession, Ash strives to protect individuals and expose wrongdoing. It gives his life purpose.
The Client
At the core of “Relay” is a high-tech cat-and-mouse game. Ash’s meticulous methods are challenged when Sarah (Lily James), a corporate whistleblower and potential client, reaches out to Ash for protection after she discovers compromising information about her company.Whistleblowers and those who protect them often live solitary lives. They face the difficulty of establishing trust and the ever-present possibility of betrayal. The film explores the tension between the loneliness and paranoia inherent in Ash’s line of work.
Ash struggles with addiction, and he almost comes clean about his secretive sideline of work to his AA sponsor, who’s in law enforcement. She warns him that part of the reason they are both drawn to high-stakes, adrenaline-junkie type work is because “We’re addicts. We do addict-y things.”
When Ash cyber-stalks Sarah for purposes of reconnaissance, he’s understandably smitten. Because it’s Lily James, of course. Sarah’s case is more complex than usual. First, the corporation she possesses damaging information about has a crack espionage mercenary team. Second, her situation escalates more than usual, leading Ash to go out on a limb. The surveillance crew are all former military, as evidenced by their use of Army culture’s battle-cry “hooah.”
In Summary
“Relay” focuses on building suspense through a slow reveal of information and creating a tense, high-stakes atmosphere between the lead characters. Will Sarah successfully return the incriminating documents to the company, and, in exchange, receive the agreed-upon hush money? Can Ash ensure Sarah’s safety throughout the exchange? Can he also secure a copy of the vital documents as a fail-safe to guarantee the corporation honors their agreements long-term? Will the relentless corporate enforcer and team leader, Dawson (Sam Worthington), who’s been trailing Sarah and trying to uncover Ash’s identity fail to achieve his objective?“Relay” is a tense and thought-provoking thriller that effectively combines the classic tropes of the genre with timely themes of corporate misconduct, the digital age, and the personal sacrifices involved in the pursuit of truth. Audiences love “Relay” with a 92 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I enjoyed the heck out it myself.
