Relay

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2:18

Relay

R

Released Aug 22

1h 52m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

119 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.

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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.

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Audience Says

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

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Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

Ahmed, always excellent, perfectly lives up to expectations by playing a man with a very particular sensitivity... while James does her part with ease. [Full review in Spanish]

Sep 4, 2025

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

The action set pieces are nerve-wracking, but that screenplay snafu is too significant. Still, there’s a lot to admire in the filmmaking and in Ahmed’s performance.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 3, 2025

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Some of that effectiveness is undercut by some off-putting music choices, but McKenzie's command of the material is rock solid, Giles Nuttgens' cinematography achieves a sleek, moody metallic chill and Matt Mayer's editing is always fleet.

Aug 25, 2025

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Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

Riz Ahmed and Lily James stand out in David Mackenzie’s mostly solid paranoid thriller.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 16, 2025

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Sammie Purcell

Rough Draft Atlanta

Your enjoyment of the film might rest on your ability to buy in, but in most other respects, “Relay” is a perfectly enjoyable paranoid thriller, a fresh take on a genre that feels too much like a throwback these days.

Sep 9, 2025

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Colin Biggs

That Shelf

David Mackenzie’s Relay is a throwback of sorts. Not quite the thrillers of the 1970s, like his film Hell or High Water, but closer to the renaissance the genre received in the early aughts, like Cellular and Red Eye.

Sep 6, 2025

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Brent

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

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Google

Excellent movie,I absolutely loved it..

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/13/25

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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

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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

Betty

I heard nothing about this movie and cant believe what a great find this was. It kept my attention from Beginning to end. A must see!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

Full Review

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David Mackenzie

Director

Riz Ahmed

Tom

Lily James

Sarah

Sam Worthington

Dawson

Willa Fitzgerald

Rosetti

Jared Abrahamson

Ryan

Relay: Exclusive Clip

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

Relay: 1970's Trailer

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Relay: Trailer 1

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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, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2025
Runtime: 1h 52m

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