Riz Ahmed has an unusual job in this film: He brokers payoff deals between corporations with something to hide and the person who has secrets that could bring them down. He keeps everything anonymous but using a relay service for the hearing impaired. Along comes a desperate new client (Lily James) and the clandestine operation begins. This film unfolds with slow, steady stress, as we watch the machinations he goes thru to solve the conflict, while protecting both sides. It’s kinda like watching a spy thriller play out on the streets of NYC. With his easy intensity, Ahmed makes every moment count and James effectively plays the damsel in distress. Director David Mackenzie has the ability to create low-grade tension in almost every exchange and it keeps mounting until the final showdown. Between the continually-clever cloak-and-dagger situations, effective performances and Mackenzie’s skillful craft, the film is a quietly involving paranoid thriller with a bit of character study to add humanity. 
(4 / 5)
