The film is rather exciting, there are no boring dialogs or overextended scenes, script writer and director do know their job. David Tennant is gorgeous as a psycho. He is charming, he is creepy, he is, well, good at sex scenes. Kate Ashfield as Miranda is great disappointment. She actually has only three types of expression: smiling, crying and frowning. And you can tell crying from frowning only by the drippling tears.But the plot really sucks. I don't know, how Fabricci managed to create such an unconvincing story. There is a list of the most outrageous crap, happening throughout the movie:1)You dumped a guy for stealing your spare keys and rummaging in your stuff? Please, don't change your lock for any account. And keep on leaving your spare keys at the exactly same place. Why should maniac bother about making a duplicate?2) Police has no evidence against you and you left a bunch of bills and a letter in yout ex's flat? That's the reason to panic! You have to break in and leave a mess.3) Someone broke in your flat and left a mess? Don't try to leave the place and block the entrance. Don't call the police. Don't ask your neighbours to witness. Just step in, don't be afraid. And don't change your lock. Again 4) You need to put someone in jail? Just concoct a wibbly-wobbly plan and pretend you're dead. And start a new life as another person, that is really dead. Just put on a wig. Wigs are convincing. And Australia is heaven, that is why they're selling tickets to recently deceased5) You're a maniac and you're breaking in the same apartment for the third time? Obviously it is OK, if your victim got used to it and even prepared a glass of wine for you

After watching the whole show (both parts of the mini series on BBC America), i really wasn't sure if Brendan deserved what he got. Did he actually do all the things we were lead to believe he did or did Miranda just get obsessed with the whole idea of what she thought he was doing. He did actually move on and get out of her life, but she still persisted on going after him. Was he really a murderer or was he set up by a woman just set on revenge???Looking back over it, you really don't know on a lot of things, did he deliberately date Miranda's sister to get back at her (or just to be near her), did he cause Troy's death, did he kill Laura, did he kill his parents, we don't really know, Miranda just leads you to think that. OK, Brendan can be a really nasty piece of work, definitely a split personality.I think it's worth another look, just don't look at the flaws too much, it's a good watch, very entertaining, not the best suspense made but David Tennant's performance alone makes it worth watching!

This drama is based on the novel by Nicci French.Having read the book i hoped that they would be true to the story,and they were. David Tennant was absolutely chilling as the creepy,but handsome and charismatic Brendan Block.A total departure from Doctor Who.There is none of his quirkiness in this drama.Brendan Block is EVIL.This i would say is one of David Tennant's best roles to date. Kate Ashfield as Miranda Cotton is brilliant too.Her portrayal as the heroine who refuses to give up,until she nails Block was fantastic. Claire Goose put in a very good performance as Kerry (miranda's sister,and one of Block's victims) Miranda meets Brendan,and after a torrid ten day relationship,finishes with him,after she catches him reading her diary,and rifling through her belongings. He can't accept this,and sets out to take revenge on her,and basically ruin her life,starting with Kerry. The drama continues to hold you,until the very end scene. Will Miranda stop him,or will Brendan ruin her life,and threaten her friendships,relationships,and very sanity. A totally absorbing drama to the end. From the same director of the recent excellent drama See No Evil.

SECRET SMILE is a thriller that was sold to the TV public of having David Tennant as bad guy Brendan Block and to be totally honest I probably wouldn't have watched this if Tennant hadn't been cast as the tenth actor to play the title character in DOCTOR WHO so I was very interested in seeing how he'd play a villain In this type of thriller , much of the performance of the actor playing the villain makes or breaks the production , the whole story rests on one actor so do I think Tennant pulled it off ? Yes just about but not overwhelmingly . Tennant is good looking , though in a slightly effete way but I can see why he has a growing army of female fans falling over themselves to watch whatever he's in . Tennant plays Block just a little too hard edged and nasty a bit too early on . Wouldn't he have been more convincing if he smiled more and used some undoubted charm to woo characters into being on his side ? Sometimes Tennant plays Block a bit too obvious which led this viewer to wonder why characters were unable to see through his manipulation . Mind you Tennant gives a very good performance in comparison to Kate Ashfield who I thought was fairly wooden !!!!! SPOILERS !!!!! But the failings of SECRET SMILE is down to the story . I've never read Sean French's novel so I don't know how it compares to Kate Brooke's adaptation but I'm afraid it's somewhat silly . The first half of the story ( Episode one ) plays out as a lover scorned takes his revenge on the woman who jilted him and manipulates Miranda Cotton's brother into killing himself . Apparently the brother was a manic depressive and manic depressives when stressed stick their fingers in their ears and make wailing noises . I doubt if French or Brooke's are a psychiatrist so perhaps they should have read up on the condition before they committed the character to paper Things get worse in the second half of the story ( Episode two ) but remains highly watchable because of the utterly bizarre plot twists . After courting Miranda's sister Kerry Block then dumps her on their wedding day and marries Miranda's friend Laura instead who then turns up dead in a bath tub . After several more twists and turns that defy comprehension Block rapes Miranda and then murders her and dumps the body and is then given a life sentence for murder and there's a twist at the end which I could see coming a mile away . The end The twist is what SECRET SMILE will be remembered for and I fail to see how it could possibly work in real life . It all rests on Block turning up at Miranda's flat and accepting a glass of wine and the more you think about it the more things fall apart . What you mean you can emigrate to Australia without any references or without any checks being made . Don't the authorities do background checks and wouldn't they realise that the person you're claiming to be got drowned in a bath ? But I guess since he's going to be starring in DOCTOR WHO next year David Tennant had better get used to appearing in drama's with contrived endings . Bad Wolf anyone ?