Relay

We saw this tonight at a sneak preview / mystery Monday where you don't know what movie you are seeing advance. And wow what a great suprise. Great acting, mild hitchcockian feel, plot has a couple great twists... just a great all around intrigue/thriller. And the titular "relay" piece of the plot is a very original mechanism. Good stuff!

I think there are a few things, especially one... that the director thought would be a shock, a killer hook, but... nah. I had the big "secret" figured out about 1/3 of the way and I'm no super-sleuth. Flicks like Knives Out and Simple Plan were much more engaging and so many others have a better cast and acting like Black Bag.

Honestly I love the concept of this movie, how one finds someone like this idk, but goodness would this be great if it existed. Also relay being a legit service would be amazing, sure it would be crossing some lines and be used by the wrong people, but what a excellent idea for keeping things private and off record. The story and emotions with this one are good, but i predicted the ending at some point along the way. Not enough action for me to want to keep a movie like this in a collection but I truly did enjoy it.

Saw at AMC for movie unseen on 8-11-2025.

If a suspense thriller is suspenseful and thrilling, it has succeeded at its job. And that's how I feel about Relay. It hooks you early with a cool premise and never lets go. The story is interesting and filled with intrigue.

I like that it doesn't explain everything. It allows the viewer to figure things out and put the pieces together. And it has a steady increase in intensity and good escalation to the climax. It does come to a fairly abrupt conclusion, but I still found it satisfying.

The entire cast gives good performances, with the standout being the lead, Riz Ahmed. I had a good time with this movie and was happy with its selection for this week's secret movie screening.

(1 viewing, early screening Mystery Movie Monday 8/11/2025)

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It kept me guessing all the way through. I was excited about the way the story was told, in that the use of the method of communication between the characters of the movie was whimsical and unexpected. I also liked that the level of fear was there without a whole lot of violence you find in some movies.