Sin City Research: Character 3 - Hartigan

Hartigan

Hartigan is the cop that saved Nancy when she was eleven, betraying his partner to do so. So close to retirement, he scarifies everything to save her even though it could be worthless. "Nancy Callahan, aged eleven. For all I know she's dead already."

 For doing this heroic deed, he is framed by the powerful Senator Rourke as the pedophile was his son, and he shot his ear, hand, and genitals off, as Hartigan describes them as 'weapons.' He is tortured but endures for Nancy's safety, and spends the next eight years in prison. He is released only to lead Rourke Junior towards her so he can gain revenge on him through her.

Hartigan also suffers from 'Angina' a heart condition that occurs when the blood supply to the muscles of the heart is restricted. This often hits when hes in battle as he quickly gets out of breath because of his age. It also creates tension and excitement in his scenes, as well as grounding the character. He often looks past his pain for others, specifically Nancy.

He is by far the most honorable and good person in Sin City, putting others needs before his own, and sacrificing all he has, families love, his reputation, and pride to save those who are innocent. "I've got to get out. Got to help her. nothing else matters. Not my life - and not my pride either." His quests are often hardened by the fact that the rest of the force is corrupt, which makes him a unique character in Sin City.


His story in the film contains the most colour  in the comics and film, having a character in full colour (that yellow bastard) and the sequence where Hartigan enters Kadies all being in colour, turning back to black and white effectively when he realises he's been tricked and lead the villain right to Nancy.

Hartigan stands out in Sin City for his courage, bravery, sacrifice and protection and dedication to Nancy. He is seemingly the only character who abides by the law (for the most part) and in my opinion, has one of the best villains in Sin City: The Yellow Bastard.

"Hartigan is a civilized honor-bound man who makes every decision based on a sort of a 1940's level morality, as pure a hero as I've ever written. He's the Sir Galahad of Sin City"

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P208