‘Relay’: Riz Ahmed Brings Cool Presence to David Mackenzie’s Twisty Corporate Thriller

Alci Rengifo

Riz Ahmed is one of those actors with a truly unique presence. He rarely ever tries to overstate a performance and conveys tension through the use of silence. The wheels always seem to be turning, which tends to be the mark of truly good acting. Ahmed’s skill is fully on display in “Relay.” Director David Mackenzie knows how to use the actor well in a thriller that starts off very strongly by depending entirely on interactions and smart writing. The aim is clearly to follow in the footsteps of classic thrillers, particularly from the 1970s, when visual craft combined with sharp plots involving government or corporate conspiracies. There is probably even more of a need now to tackle those issues. 

Ahmed is Ash, a kind of interlocutor who works for a shadowy New York firm specializing in helping whistleblowers stay safe. His latest client will be Sarah (Lily James), who worked for a biotech giant and discovered their latest wheat strain has serious issues. Determined to do the right thing, Sarah sneaked out a major report detailing the strain’s dangerous side effects. When the company sent enforcers to intimidate and threaten her, Sarah pulled back from releasing the information. Ash’s job is to contact the company as a liaison for Sarah, arranging a return of the documents in exchange for a pricey fee and a promise to leave her alone. Corporations don’t take kindly to such moves and a team is dispatched, led by Dawson (Sam Worthington), tasked with spying on Sarah and retrieving the documents. 

Mackenzie’s work has kept alive the 1970s idea of genre thrillers that can be exciting while tackling major issues, as in his “Hell or High Water.” A ‘70s-style trailer was even cut for this movie. The screenplay by Justin Piasecki inventively captures the spirit of classic titles like “The Parallax View” and combines it with a modern edge. It also has much in common with paranoid rides such as Tony Scott’s “Enemy of the State,” where the heroes are basically at war with corrupt entities sporting flashy tech. Dawson and his crew, which also includes Ryan (Jared Abrahamson) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), keep watch over Sarah from a van parked outside her apartment, intercepting all calls, calling up facial recognition services at whim, etc. Tony Doogan’s score is complimented with needle drops like Karen Marks’ “Cold Café.” A fun counter the filmmakers invent is that Ash only communicates with an almost vintage typing machine connected to his iPhone meant to aid the deaf. The relay service’s various operators pass on his messages to Sarah and so forth. The technique keeps the movie engaging as a standoff dependent on dialogue clues. 

Because so much of the thriller angle depends mostly on delivering the coveted documents, Mackenzie takes advantage of Ahmed’s presence by expanding his character beyond just a plot device. We get to know him just enough as a recovering alcoholic who channels his obsessive tendencies into his work. At AA meetings Ash shares brief glimpses into his past as someone raised Muslim but who found his way to alcohol through the pressures of working on Wall Street. Going back to his Oscar-nominated role in “Sound of Metal,” Ahmed’s force comes in how grounded he can deliver a performance. In this movie he is not so much calm as a man keeping his rage in check. He smoothly maneuvers moments of familiar suspense where he dons disguises and plans drop offs. Lily James compliments Ahmed with an equally subtle performance that begins to hint at an organic attraction forming from a distance, which is difficult to pull off in a movie where the two leads barely share scenes together.

“Relay” sustains interest for most of its running time, but then decides to swerve into a bizarre twist at the end. Mackenzie wants to surprise us yet chooses a reveal that renders everything we’ve put emotional stock into meaningless. Traditionally these thrillers go for good shocks at the climax, like the sudden, violent ending of “Parallax View” or the tragic conclusion to “Blow Out.” The difference is those endings stayed consistent with the narrative the audience was asked to invest in. Here, the rug gets pulled out from under our feet in a way that nears absurdity, referencing events mentioned at the beginning we’ve forgotten about by the final showdown. Despite the whole scheme dissolving into empty air, we at least have good craft on display from a filmmaker not prone to resorting to bombastic action at every turn. Then, there’s Riz Ahmed, who we need more of in movies. He brings depth to a character which could have easily become another keyboard- wielding device, keeping him believable even when the scheme stops being so.

“Relay” releases Aug. 22 in theaters nationwide.