Relay Trailer: Riz Ahmed is a Fixer in David Mackenzie’s Thriller

After taking the longest break of his career since 2018’s Outlaw King, David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) is back with Relay. The thriller, starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Matthew Maher, and Victor Garber, premiered at TIFF last fall and will now arrive on August 22 from Bleecker Street. Ahead of its release, the first trailer has arrived.

Here’s the 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.”

Jared Mobarak said in his review, “The suspense that ensues is highly effective, despite it mostly being scenes with different relay operatives speaking aloud what Tom types as Sarah listens. The kinetic editing and impact of knowing a third party is also on the line creates a taut sense of uncertainty as far as who will blink first. It’s why the first half hits so hard with Ahmed delivering a mostly wordless performance en route to setting everything up so it can inevitably fall apart. An early airport scene excels by showing how good he is at juggling multiple tasks and how excited Worthington and company are to discover if they can keep up. Because, in the end, perfection on both sides means nothing if the woman in the middle can be bluffed into giving away the game.”

See the trailer and poster below.