The whistle has been blown on Riz Ahmed and Lily James’ 2025 thriller after an under-the-radar theatrical release.
Relay grossed just $4 million when it came out in theaters in August, but Netflix subscribers have unearthed director David Mackenzie’s cerebral mystery movie, pushing it all the way to #10 on the service’s U.S. streaming chart for December 27, 2025.
Ahmed plays a fixer enlisted by whistleblower James to assist her in her fight against an evil agrochemical company. The film’s title refers to the relay phone service for the deaf that Ahmed uses to protect his own identity.
Critics were high on Relay after its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, sending it to an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score, which indicates largely positive notices.
Reviewers praised the film as a throwback to the classic paranoid conspiracy thrillers of the 1970s, calling it intelligent and intense.
ScreenRant’s review of Relay lauds it as “one of 2025’s most exciting films,” calling it “an intricate action thriller with a solid foundation and actors who fully engage with the material.”
Ahmed received strong reviews for his portrayal of Ash, a man who takes on the powers-that-be by living entirely off-the-grid. The character’s analog nature was indeed one of the things that attracted Ahmed to Relay in the first place.
“It was like living a dream,” the star explained back in August (via Collider). “Don’t you dream every day about not using your phone and going off-grid and not being constantly connected?”
“That felt kind of cool, and I think that’s something that passes through a lot of people’s minds,” he added.
Ahmed’s Relay co-star James spoke in August (via IndieWire) about the script’s twists and turns, saying, “I was genuinely surprised by how things unfolded, by the different characters and the secrets they have.”
Relay director Mackenzie talked back in August about his own approach to the film, which may in some ways recall 1970s thrillers like The Parallax View and The Conversation, but is not meant to feel like a throwback movie.
“I wasn’t interested in making it feel nostalgic,” Mackenzie explained (via The Playlist). “I hope it’s more punk rock.”
The director went on, “It’s designed to feel like the ground beneath your feet is shaky, and the truth you see is slippery. That feels very contemporary to me.”
- Release Date
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August 22, 2025
- Runtime
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112 minutes
- Director
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David Mackenzie
