Relay

Play trailer

2:18

Poster for

Relay

R

Aug 2025

1h 52m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

134 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

250+ Verified Ratings

In RELAY, Riz Ahmed plays a world class "fixer" who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James), needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A brainy thriller that harkens back to the gritty verisimilitude of classic conspiracy cinema, Relay might have one reversal too many but finishes the race with aplomb.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Says

Steadily led by Lily James and Riz Ahmed, Relay is a fast-paced, engaging thriller that feels effortlessly and refreshingly original.

Read Audience Reviews

Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

It has some of the cool muscularity of a classic Michael Mann movie – and one senses it’s no coincidence that the moment it dawns on Worthington that he’s being watched mirrors the equivalent Al Pacino scene in Heat.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 2, 2025

Full Review

Christina Newland

Time Out

By the time everyone’s drawn their guns, I was thoroughly invested. Relay is an old-school thriller with a drum-tight script and real style.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 31, 2025

Full Review

Kim Newman

Sight & Sound

Relay is an effective conspiracy thriller with a resourceful, enigmatic hero using spy-like tradecraft to improvise as a simple plan goes out of whack.

Oct 31, 2025

Full Review

Jack Martin

Film Feeder

A watchable thriller that boasts a fascinating core concept which updates the classic paranoia thriller it seeks to pay homage to, but the script settles for more conventional plotting and characterisation which dilutes much of its potential.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 2, 2025

Full Review

Victoria Luxford

The People's Movies

Relay finds a balance between intelligence and entertainment, making for a bracing thriller that cuts through both surveillance culture and corporate responsibility.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 31, 2025

Full Review

Alistair Harkness

Scotsman

The resulting film is pleasurably old school in its twists and turns, but in Ahmed’s character it also offers a slyly ironic portrait of the isolation of the digital age: Ash is an analogue guy not because he wants to be, but because he has to be.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 28, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Pamila

Really well done. Twist thrown in at the end did surprise. Main character is very affecting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/25

Full Review

Brent

Absolute thriller, with a plot you can't understand how anyone could write 🤘

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

Full Review

Google

Excellent movie,I absolutely loved it..

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/13/25

Full Review

June

The plot was interesting and I really like the main character. Sometimes the characters would do stupid things and it was really hard to watch. Also some of the side characters were really annoying. Cinematically it was great and it was entertaining to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/07/25

Full Review

First

Great movie, and even better experience… great margarita!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

Full Review

Rod D

good a very surprising ending

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

David Mackenzie

Director

Riz Ahmed

Tom

Lily James

Sarah

Sam Worthington

Dawson

Willa Fitzgerald

Rosetti

Jared Abrahamson

Ryan

Relay: Exclusive Clip

0:53

View more videos

Black Bag

96%

70%

Black Bag

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Black Bag

Lurker

95%

84%

Lurker

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Lurker

Boiling Point

99%

86%

Boiling Point

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Boiling Point

The Origin of Evil

93%

81%

The Origin of Evil

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Origin of Evil

Master Gardener

71%

53%

Master Gardener

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Master Gardener

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Weekend Box Office: Weapons Takes No. 1 Again… or Does It?

Relay: 1970's Trailer

1:17

Relay: Trailer 1

2:18

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In RELAY, Riz Ahmed plays a world class "fixer" who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James), needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Director: David Mackenzie
Producer: Basil Iwanyk, Gillian Berrie, David Mackenzie, Teddy Schwarzman
Screenwriter: Justin Piasecki
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Production Co: Black Bear, Thunder Road Pictures, Sigma Films
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 22, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2025
Runtime: 1h 52m

Most Popular at Home Now