‘Relay’ movie review: Riz Ahmed is the silky center of this throwback thriller

From the first scene on the neon-lit streets of New York City where a man is being followed by a hooded figure, to the heart-stopping climax in a warehouse with freight trains shrieking like distraught banshees, Relay, David Mackenzie’s 11^th feature film, offers super-smart thrills.

Ash (Riz Ahmed) brokers deals between evil corporate houses and scared whistleblowers. Ever conscious of the many digital eyes in the sky, Ash lives in the shadows behind disguises, using an old- fashioned relay messaging service to communicate with his clients.

Ash shepherds a whistleblower, Hoffman (Matthew Maher), through a handover with his company CEO, McVie (Victor Garber — we have just about managed to erase the memory of the horrific Thanksgiving dinner from And Just Like That…).

On the other side of town, Sarah (Lily James) meets a lawyer and asks for help to return some documents she took from the company she was working for. Sarah took the documents as proof that the company was ignoring adverse test results of their genetically modified wheat. Threatened and intimidated, Sarah wants to return the documents and get on with her life.

The lawyer suggests getting in touch with Ash with no guarantees on whether he would help her. Ash agrees to help her on the condition that she follows his instructions to the letter. There follows a cat-and-mouse game between Sarah and Ash and the counter surveillance team led by Dawson (Sam Worthington). A tentative relationship grows between Sarah and Ash, through messages and The Who’s The Kids Are Alright.

Using the postal services and public transport, apart from being kind to the planet, also helps Ash keep Sarah ahead of her Terminator-like pursuers. Thriller writers often talk of how technology has killed suspense. It is probably the reason for the many historical thrillers populating the market. It must be a relief to do old fashioned find-outing instead of getting answers at the click of a mouse from the University of Google! Relay is fascinating for using technology to obfuscate the trail.   

Ahmed propels the film not showily, but softly and silkily, slipping in and out of the frame like a 21^st century chameleon, who is there one minute and gone the next. His soft, raspy voice indicates Ash does not use it often.

James convinces us of Sarah’s wide-eyed terror. Worthington, playing the third corner of this life-threatening triangle is also understated, playing a competent professional doing his job. Willa Fitzgerald, who played Officer Roscoe in Reacher, plays Rosetti, one of Dawson’s crew, with a cheeky insouciance.

The city of New York is also a character in Relay, with its towering buildings, rain-slicked roads, thundering trains, ticking clocks, vinyl-stocked shops, and odd moments of quiet, heart-breaking beauty. Relay is one of those movies that ask you to pay attention, and reward you with a tight, intriguing plot, well-written characters, soaring visuals and exhilarating action.

Relay is currently running in theatres