In the Tokyo suburb of Chofu, a middle-aged woman is hurryingly crossing the street. Sugioka, feeling an unexplainable sexual lust, follows the woman and makes sexual advances. When she rejects him, he stabs her with a knife and flees the scene. The victim is a member of a circle of six women all with the first name 'Midori.' Using a clue picked up at the murder scene, the 'Midoris' soon track down Sugioka. With the 'an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' revenge mentality, the women seek out revenge against the young men gang. Six young men and six middle- aged women, due an accidental but fatal coincidence, engage in a bloody battle of revenge upon revenge. Big Showa Song Collection, was adapted from a much publicly discussed bestseller (same title), by novelist Ryu Murakami which in 1994 was told in weekly parts in the Playboy magazine. Murakami, also known as a film director, considers Big Showa Song Collection the best film adaptation of all his novels. The director Tetsuo Shinohara, known previously for touching and soft films Moon and Cabbages and First love, makes a radical change in style with blood and song interlaced with bullet shots and dance. The Showa Era started in 1926 when Emperor Hirohito came to power and ended with his death in 1988. During this period Japan had overcome WWII and this era was marked paradoxically with Japan's overflowing guilt and the proclamation of being the centre of the universe. Starting with 'Season of Love' and ending with 'Until we meet again' these hit pop songs of the era work superbly as emotional device in portraying confrontational characters in the film. Ryuhei Matsuda, the star in Nagisa Oshima's Gohatto, and Masanobu Ando of Kids Return head up the impressive cast of young men. Just as impressive, the cast of confrontational middle-aged woman lead by Kanako, Higuchi, famous for her impassioned performance in Naomi Kawase's Sharasojyu. (Ellen KIM)