Relay

Movie Name: Relay
Year of Release: 2024
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Pun Bandhu, Eisa Davis, Victor Garber, Matthew Maher, Seth Barrish
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

David Mackenzie who started his feature directorial career in the early 2000s, initially shined with the film "Young Adam" which featured great performances from Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton, and then hit a critical peak with "Hell or High Water" in 2016, but has more recently moved into genre material. "Relay" which came out in 2024, is one of his more recent films, and follows the story of Ash, a secretive man who makes a living out of helping people who are commonly known as "whistleblowers". He essentially finds ways for these individuals who find classified information who may jeopardize many people's lives, navigate the process of removing themselves from these same situations which may result in their deaths. He never calls the clients or the entities who want the documents directly: he uses a relay system to communicate with everyone, meaning he always carries with him a keyboard (for the hearing disabled). His newest client turns out to be a young woman by the name of Sarah. She has information on a genetically modified element that can impact millions of lives, something that the company that has manufactured it, wants to keep under cover. She had originally planned on going public with the information, but she's now fearing for her personal safety as she suspects that organization is tracking her every movement and has been intimidating her. As it turns out, she is in fact being surveilled by a counterintelligence team led by a man named Dawson. Ash provides detailed instructions on what she should be doing, and he soon realizes just how much Sarah is exposed and how much surveillance she is under. Sarah keeps fumbling through some of his instructions, all the while trying to build a closer relationship with Ash. Ash sets up the details for the exchange of Sarah's information for the financial settlement involved, but soon things get more complicated, forcing him to find other ways to navigate the situation, ways that go beyond his methodically constructed process.

"Relay" was written by Justin Piasecki, in what is his first produced script. The film's twist in the third act doesn't come across as a particular surprise, as the film isn't particularly subtle in the way it creates the character development of all those depicted. What is quite well crafted about this feature, is the first two thirds of the film, where David Mackenzie illustrates a la progressive disclosure, who these characters are, in particular Ash, who is the center of the narrative. There's something quite interesting, and almost reminiscent of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation", that the director is able to illustrate during the first part of the film, bringing to life this existence of an individual who distances himself of others, who has alienated himself from what can be considered average life, but who still wants to help others, make an impact in a society that predates the weaker and the more vulnerable. Mr. Mackenzie is able to create a scenario where the suspense keeps increasing as the film keeps going, and he does so by upping the stakes and making the cat and mouse game that is being played just a bit more involved. Sadly the third chapter of the film almost wrecks everything that was construed previously, it goes into the more conventional tropes of an action film, but it still manages to hold a surprise or two near the end. The central nerve of the film is Riz Ahmed's solid performance, one that is nuanced, subtle, and yet decisive. The supporting players don't have quite as much to do, and the subtlety there is mostly gone (Sam Worthington who got his chance at bigger parts after his "Avatar" shining moment, has largely reduced himself to lead roles in B-movies, or supporting ones in films such as these). The production team of this film is solid, including the beautiful cinematography from the underrated Giles Nuttgens and score from Tony Doogan. It's a mildly entertaining film, though borderline instantly forgettable.