Relay

Between the complications inherent in releasing movies during the COVID pandemic, lending his voice to animated features, and the limited theatrical runs enjoyed by most streaming studio fare, Relay marks Riz Ahmed's return to the screen in a starring role. So it's quite bold that for its first thirty minutes, we don't hear his voice. A line delivered to an airline employee breaks the drought, and is followed by another fifteen minutes of silence, before he begins to speak more regularly. The effect is stunning. It forces us to spend every moment examining his face, scrutinizing his actions, and carefully reading his body language. And in that extended chunk of film, he provides an absolute master class, clearly displaying a deep reservoir of emotion as well as every single thought that flits through his mind. It's almost a disappointment when he's able to lean on speech once again, although his physical performance remains captivating.

Ahmed is not the only notable name in the film. His co-protagonist is Lily James as Sarah, a corporate research scientist and would-be whistleblower whose employer's intimidation has her wanting her life back. Fearing retaliation and harassment even if she returns the pilfered documents, she employs the help of Ash (Ahmed), a fixer specializing in this sort of arrangement. This requires him retaining a copy of the incriminating files, as well as both her and her employer ponying up tens of thousands of dollars, so of course the company doesn't go for it. Instead, they go to great lengths to disrupt Ash's work and retrieve those files via a team of hired mercenaries, led by Sam Worthington and including Willa FIizgerald (as Dawson and Rosetti, respectively). The resulting cat and mouse game calls back to the great paranoid thrillers of the late 20th century, full of careful plans and clever misdirects and plenty of time in spent in the back of a surveillance van.

Read my full review on Pop Culture Maniacs.