Sloane Sawyer (Lelia Symington) returns to her home in Santa Lucia to help find out who is harassing the grape pickers. There is a rich lady who owns rival land. Not too hard to figure out but it takes 90 film minutes.

Lelia looks good in jeans, but that was about the extent of what the film had going for it. She asks questions and does a lot of stake outs. Lesser quality than a Hallmark. A real yawner.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

The premise seems so simple, yet scarcely any sooner has the picture begun then a different notion begins to enter one's mind. I don't mean this in terms of the narrative thrust, but rather, instead of the adult-minded thriller one presumably anticipates, 'Brut force' comes off as something much more weirdly simplistic. The image comes to mind of a slightly older Nancy Drew, pointedly precocious in her youth and never losing that pluckiness. This is conveyed by the odd peppiness that defines the tone, including overly enthusiastic delivery of dialogue that like the scene writing is often much too exact and on the nose, nevermind playful - from all actors and for all characters, but protagonist Sloane above all. Moreover, filmmaker Eve Symington's direction is strangely brusque, maintaining what feels like an unnatural gait for the plot at large, from scene to scene, and even within a single scene. There's no pause between beats, and as a result the drama, tension, and mystery that the course of events should invite, or most any other feelings for that matter, don't have a chance to truly manifest. This is a game of "connect the dots" played without taking much time to stop and appreciate the image that's being formed, instead just zipping along the designated path as speedily as our eyes can make contact with the next point.

It's suitably well made from a technical standpoint, even if I disagree with some of the choices made - in editing, for example, or arrangement of shots and scenes, even something as small as a character tilting her head in a way that doesn't seem right. The only cast member I'm specifically familiar with is Patricia Velasquez; I know what she's capable of, and I recognize in her costars much the same potential. It's too bad the performances of all at best feel slightly off, echoing the tenor of the feature overall; I assume the actors would impress me if I saw them elsewhere, but here I only feel sorry for them - even lead Lelia Symington. In fact, that sadly quite goes for almost everything: the plot is solid in the broad strokes (if vaguely familiar at times), but every component part that goes into it, including its development on-screen, is some combination of rushed, unbelievably precise, off-center, or just unconvincing. Even most instances of intended weight don't come off well, and the more dramatic or even profound the movie tries to be, somehow the worse it gets; twists and turns feel empty and false not just for the sheer number crammed in, but also for the fact that they might be as feebly executed as lines of dialogue mere seconds apart. Only in the last 10-12 minutes does it feel like 'Brut force' has finally hit a point of genuinely firing on all cylinders, and while that strong finish is gratifying, it's just kind of too late to make a difference.

Or could it be that I'm just too jaded and cynical? Am I being too harsh, and unfair? I don't doubt Eve Symington's sincerity, or the work that anyone put into the production. Again, I actually do like the story. Ali Helnwein's original music is pretty terrific, too, lending what ambience it can to the proceedings at some points (the ending especially). I don't think this is altogether awful. It's also not half the film it could have been if everything were approached just a little more mindfully. With that said, it seems 'Brut force' is the first full-length feature of the filmmaker, and even though I think it emphatically falters, it's not a bad effort as such. I look forward to seeing what Symington may make in the future as she hones her skills. Still, to whatever extent this is enjoyable, it's considerably weighed down by weaknesses that are all too glaring. As it stands this is most recommendable to those who have a particular impetus to watch - wine lovers, perhaps, or fans of those involved - while for a wider audience, the importance of watching is probably rather less. It's okay enough if you come across it, I suppose, but definitely don't go out of your way, and keep your expectations tempered.