Relay: Should you watch or skip the Riz Ahmed starrer? A viewer's guide

Relay is a film in the thriller genre that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

It is directed by David Mackenzie, while Justin Piasecki is the writer. Mackenzie has produced the film with Gillian Berrie, Basil Iwanyk and Teddy Schwarzman. The production banners include Black Bear Pictures, Thunder Road Films and Sigma Films. It was released theatrically on August 22, 2025, by Bleecker Street. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

"A broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive."

Let's explore whether you should watch or skip this film.

Relay viewer's guide explored

Relay is about a fixer named Ash (played by Riz Ahmed) who works with whistleblowers. Because of the danger involved in the work, he has to keep his identity a secret. He does that by using a relay device for deaf people.

The film has mostly received a positive critical response. So if you trust that, you should definitely go for it. It features strong performances from Ahmed along with other cast members. Piasecki's screenplay is taught and mostly unpredictable.

The film's storyline has shades of Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation. Its direction is also gripping, and the makers don't deflect from the main plot. The film also touches upon themes like surveillance, privacy, and morality. Overall, it should be given a try by anyone who is looking for a taut thriller filled with strong performances.

More about Relay

The film is shot by Giles Nuttgens, while Matt Mayer is the editor. The music is composed by Tony Doogan. Its cast members include,

Riz Ahmed as Ash
Seth Barrish as Morel
Lily James as Sarah Grant
Sam Worthington as Dawson
Willa Fitzgerald as Rosetti
Victor Garber as McVie
Jared Abrahamson as Ryan
Pun Bandhu as Lee
Eisa Davis as Wash
Matthew Maher as Hoffman

In an interview with NPR, the film's director, David McKenzie, revealed why he was drawn to this particular script:

"I liked the material. I thought there was something very interesting about the sort of world of urban espionage and the sense of a lonely character in New York trying to kind of fight the system. Yeah. Look, I came across the script in 2019 and then worked a little bit with the writer Justin Piasecki, and eventually, we were able to make it."

He further spoke about the main character:

"He definitely goes by multiple disguises and multiple names, and he tries to live below the radar. And one of the things in particular that he does is he uses this old technology for the deaf - the relay system, where you would speak to an operator. An operator would relay the message to the person who was hard of hearing with some kind of text using a device called a TTY machine."

The film is available to watch on Netflix.