By Ian Chandler - August 28, 2025
Relay is a paranoia thriller that quietly released last week, and I'd argue it's one of the better offerings in theaters currently. With a noticeably lower budget than other summer movies, the film relies heavily on its script to do the heavy lifting. The concept is interesting, and for much of its runtime, it delivers engaging tension. It also features two talented actors, Riz Ahmed and Lily James, whose performances elevate the screenplay, resulting in a gripping story. But, even with a lot of promise and mostly good execution, Relay eventually runs out of street-smarts, losing some of the momentum and intrigue that make its first two acts so compelling. It is a strong effort, but one that leaves you wishing for a tighter finale.
One of Relay's biggest strengths is its pacing. It isn't too quick where plot elements are lost, nor is it moving at a glacier's pace, wasting time on overview shots. It is a dialogue-heavy film that, like any good thriller, expects the audience to follow along instead of giving them long, forced exposition dumps. The tension gradually rises as the film progresses and it's a strange case where you know less about Relay's protagonists than its antagonists. There are some spots where characters are a bit too quiet, making potentially important dialogue hard to pick up, but it's so sparse that it doesn't interfere with the enjoyment. There are also a handful of decisions made in the movie that made me think, "Huh, that was pretty clever!" It felt like, up to a point, a worthy spiritual successor to the thriving paranoia thrillers from the '70s.
The first 85 minutes expertly relays solid, attention-grabbing suspense. Unfortunately, the last 25 minutes are undoubtedly mistranslated. It introduces a plot point that is plainly thoughtless and devolves into an unexciting action sequence. Characters who were usually careful and meticulous make multiple, easily avoidable blunders. It feels disconnected from the first two acts. Even worse is that the situations are resolved with multiple plot conveniences. It's a brainless exercise that is a stark contrast to the cunning mannerisms we got earlier in the film. Additionally, it's invalidating to see characters go through routine gunplay instead of hiding and entering a battle of wits, something that both worked and was the selling point of this movie. Was it tacked on solely to make an energetic trailer? Whatever the reason, the film should have just hung up at the 85-minute mark.
So, Relay remains to be an intriguing watch with two notable performances and a clear passion for the suspenseful pictures that came before. I kind of wish they replicated the color grading of a '70s film to make it both more unique and match its retro structure. Though its final moments do the film no good, it isn't damaging enough to ruin the movie. Given the endless supply of numbing blockbusters with no original ideas, Relay shines as one of those productions that tried (and mostly succeeded) to incorporate a neat concept into a breezy, entertaining movie. Despite its glaring flaws, it's still a cut above most of what's in theaters right now.
Grade: 71/100.
