The Investigation Must Go On

A clever amalgam of film noir tropes and characters, The Investigation Must Go On (2000)—nominated for eight Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay—is a fascinating thriller that revolves around police detective Micha Stein's (Aki Avni) investigation of a daring robbery. One of the likely suspects is Shalom Shalom (Moshe Ivgy), a former vocalist fallen on hard times; another is Shalom's dangerously seductive wife, Zohar (Osnat Fishman). Micha has very little information to go on, but since his reputation hinges on the successful resolution of this case, he doggedly follows leads, obsessively analyzing what little evidence he turns up. Director Marek Rozenbaum emulates the best American police procedurals, nicely transplanting genre conventions to the Israeli milieu, while lavishing attention on his principal character Micha, who comes off as capable but conflicted, struggling to maintain his objectivity and intensity although the investigation takes an increasing toll on his personal life. An appropriately gritty and consistently engaging film that is sure to appeal to mystery fans, this is recommended. (E. Hulse)