Relay

Through the decades Hollywood has made quite a number of surveillance or espionage or closer films to get the fill of most audiences out there. Films such as "Wolfs", "Amateur", "Body of Lies", "Three Days of the Condor", "The Day of the Jackal", to mention a handful, are films that can leave the audience either wanting more or have gotten a bit too much, "Relay" carries a nice in between whereas it is quite the cat-and-mouse game.

In this story, Ash (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 through a "relay" service and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client, Sarah Grant (Lilly James), needing his protection just to stay alive, because of her employer, Optima Pharmaceuticals made a supplement that could potentially kill many customers through side effects, headed up by Steve Dawson (Sam Worthington), Ash's rules quickly start to change. 

Others to round out the cast are Willa Fitzgerald as Rosetti, Jared Abrahamson as Ryan, Pun Bandhu as Lee, Eisa Davis as Wash, Matthew Mayer as Hoffman, Seth Barrish as Morel, Victor Garber as McVie and Jamil Haque as Tariq. 

This was intensely directed with a ton of suspense and grit by David Mackenzie ("The Last Great Wilderness" '02, "Young Adam" '03, "Asylum" '05, "Hallam Foe" '07, "Spread" '09, "Perfect Sense" '11, "Tonight You're Mine" '11, "Starred Up" '13, "Hell or High Water" '16, "Outlaw King" '18) plus TV and shorts. This filmmaker certainly knew how to sequence, stage and pace this film with extreme expertise and precision. Every scene led the audience right to where he wanted them to be, in order for them to feel the full impact nearing the end. It was written by a newcomer to feature films, Justin Piasecki ("TV and a short). Even with his limited experience in the TV and short biz, he must've been mentored by others in the field, unless he is a true natural. This story had one gripped to their proverbial seat wondering what was coming next. This fixer, Ash was seemingly always one step ahead of the corporate baddies. This guy mostly spoke to his client via through a relay service where the client spoke, the service would send the fixer a message and visa versa. This way, there would be less leaks released. So, his actual spoken word was minimal. And by the writer doing it this way, not only does it give him a 'moody feel', but keeps the cat-and-mouse game even more suspenseful. This writer will receive more work, especially if this movie profits. Riz Ahmed as Ash.the fixer was riveting as he was captivating. 

If you're into these types of films, this is the movie for you. It has a certain amount of painstaking suspense that will keep its audience biting their nails til the film's end. Could there be a sequel> Probably not, unless it makes a ton of money. In any rate, enjoy this gem, and I'm not sure why it's rated R, since there was next to no bad language or any sex. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I believe others will as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: R                                       102mins.