Relay: Hits 76% On Rotten Tomatoes With Standout Performances By Riz Ahmed & Lily James

Relay earns 76% on Rotten Tomatoes as Riz Ahmed and Lily James deliver standout performances in this critically praised mystery thriller.

- August 24, 2025 | 4:29 PM IST

Stellar Performances By Riz Ahmed And Lily James (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Riz Ahmed steps into Relay with the quiet presence he is known for. He plays Tom, a professional fixer who manages corporate payoffs like he is moving pieces on a chessboard. His tight and deliberate performance peels back into something more personal as the story unfolds. Lily James appears as Sarah, a woman who might need his services or have other motives entirely. Their scenes together do not shout for attention but keep a steady grip on it.

Ahmed’s recent work has built a clear path to this. From the Sound of Metal to Encounter and Nightcrawler, he has carved out a spot as someone who does not play roles loudly but lets them sink in. He has not done anything flashy in Relay, and Lily James has changed her screen rhythm, too. She brings a calm surface and something more unreadable underneath.

David Mackenzie Directs Relay with Controlled Precision

David Mackenzie directs with control, keeping the story’s tension alive without overstating it. There is movement in every frame, but it is measured. The script, written by Justin Piasecki, first turned heads when it appeared on the Black List in 2019. It was renamed from The Broker and found its way to the screen after a long wait. Some of that original sharpness remains, though a few familiar beats slip in.

Relay Rotten Tomatoes Score

The film premiered at TIFF in 2024 before hitting theaters on August 22, 2025. With almost 91 reviews now in, it is holding steady at 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The popcornmeter has a highly impressive, almost near-perfect score of 92%.

Most critics are responding well to the direction and the simmering tension between Ahmed and James. Even with occasional dips into familiar territory, the film stays compelling.

Sam Worthington, Matthew Maher, and Victor Garber round out the cast, but Ahmed and James keep the pulse steady. Their push-and-pull dynamic is what holds attention. Ahmed brings a performance that does more with silence than most can with pages of dialogue, and James keeps you guessing without ever playing it too big.