When a film starts out strong, the viewer expects the ending to match that quality and send us home feeling satisfied. Unfortunately for the new film Relay, the audience is treated to a strong hour-and-a-half before the ending ruins everything that came before it and creates a confusing mess that doesn't wrap up nicely.
Relay follows Ash (Riz Ahmed) and Sarah (Lily James) who try to navigate a peaceful payoff between Sarah's previous employer after she uncovers a secret that will likely make millions of people sick. The plot isn't anything new and fits well into the standard thriller genre, but the execution throughout most of the film is where it really shines.
Throughout the film, Ash and Sarah communicate through the Relay Service where the messages are communicated via a third party and are legally destroyed after each transmission. Although director David Mackenzie may utilize the Relay Service a few too many times towards the middle of the film, it's an interesting switch to the standard clock-and-dagger we experience in this type of movie.
This plot device also limits the amount of verbal communication we get to experience from Ahmed, but he still utilizes his acting ability to shine even in a mostly non-verbal role. Additionally, James works well with what she's given and displays an ability to switch between concerned victim and vengeful whistleblower with ease.
The supporting cast is another story as Sam Worthington (Dawson), Willa Fitzgerald (Rosetti), Jared Abrahamson (Ryan), and Pun Bandhu (Lee) are some of the most thinly written villians I've experienced in a long time. It felt like their addition was mostly to just push the plot forward and their characters had minimal development, poor writing, and confusing sequences throughout the entire film.
The villains also fit into every stereotype we've come to expect in this genre with Dawson filling the role of the angry leader, Rosetti being the one woman of the group, Ryan being the frat guy turned muscle, and Lee being the calm presence that tries to keep the group together.
Mackenzie also utilizes New York City without shoving it down the viewer's throat, and the jumps between the numerous boroughs feel natural and exciting. Even with numerous stops in other cities throughout the film, this feels like a gritty New York movie without coming off as cheesy or overplayed.
As Relay gets deep into its runtime though, it seems like the creative team behind the film didn't know exactly where they wanted to take it. There are unnecessary twists that don't line up with the rest of the story, there are unresolved loose ends that feel more messy than interesting, a potential death that's never confirmed, and an additional sequence right before the credits that added nothing to the story.
Thriller films like this are always hard to end on a satisfying note, but it really leads to a strong level of disappointment due to the strength of everything that came before it. It felt like one director handled the majority of the film, passed it on to someone else who had no knowledge of what had already happened, and was asked to wrap things up for the viewer.
The worst part about how Relay ends is that viewers will likely remember that more than Ahmed's strong performance. The ending is a situation where things are meant to feel wrapped up nicely in a bow, but then you open the box and realize there's nothing inside.
Relay is now playing in theaters worldwide.