(man) Just one hour to go. My last day on the job.
Early retirement. Not my idea.
Doctor's orders. Heart condition.
"Angina" he calls it.
I'm polishing my badge and getting myself used to the idea of saying goodbye to it.
It, and the 30-odd years of protecting and serving and tears
and the blood and terror and triumph it represents.
I'm thinking about Eileen's slow smile.
About the thick. fat steaks she picked up at the butcher's today.
And I'm thinking about the one loose end I haven't tied up.
A young girl who's out there somewhere, helpless in the hands of a drooling lunatic.
Damn it, Hartigan, I won't let you do this. You're gonna get yourself killed.
You're gonna get us both killed. I won't let you. I'm warnin' you.
Let go of my coat, Bob.
You're draggin' me down with you.
I'm your partner. They can kill me, too.
I ain't puttin' up with that. I'm gettin' on the horn and calling for backup.
Sure, Bob. We'll just wait.
Sit on our hands while that Roark brat gets his sick thrills with victim number four.
Victim number four!
Nancy Callahan, age 1 1.
And she'll be raped and slashed to ribbons.
And that backup that we're waitin' on will just so happen to show up
just late enough for Roark to get back to his US Senator daddy.
Take a deep breath, Hartigan.
Settle down and think straight.
You're pushin' 60 and you got a bum ticker.
You ain't savin' anyone.
You got a great attitude, Bob.
Real credit to the force, you are.
Eileen's at home waitin' for you. Think about Eileen.
Heck, Bob,
maybe you are right.
I'm glad to hear you're finally talkin' sense.
Hell of a way to end a partnership.
Hell of a way to start my retirement.
Nancy Callahan, age 1 1.
For all I know she's dead already.
You've been a very good girl, Nancy.
- You've been very quiet. - (Nancy whimpers)
Don't be scared.
We're gonna be taking you home really soon.
But first, we're going to introduce you to somebody.
He's a very nice man.
Halfway to the warehouse where Weevil said they took her, and it hits.
Wicked spot of indigestion.
At least that's what I pray it is.
(man)...Iighthearted and momentary digression.
The briefest indulge-ment in automotive pleasure.
(man #2) For cheap thrills. Such short-lived durability, Mr. Shlubb.
You would risk engender-ating ill will on the part of our employers.
Burt Shlubb and Douglas Klump -
two any-dirty-job-there-is thugs with delusions of eloquence.
This Jaguar you so pinheadedly covet -
temporarily remanded to our custody though it may be -
remains the property of the son of Senator Roark.
Gotta keep this quiet. Take 'em down fast.
A single dent, the merest scratch thereupon,
and the before-mentioned consequences of which I so recently made mention
shall surely be athwart us.
(heavy heartbeats)
(groans)
Catch your breath. Give your heart time to slow down.
But it won't slow down.
Get over it.
She needs you.
We're all done here, Benny.
Let's give them some time together. Give them some privacy.
Be with you in a minute, Lenny.
I'm just making sure they get along really well.
And what kind of beast couldn't get along with a precious little girl like this?
You must be awfully scared now.
But you've got nothing to be scared of.
(Nancy whimpers)
All we're gonna do is have a nice little talk.
That's all. Just a nice talk. Just you and me.
- (sobbing) - Don't you cry now.
Doctor said it'd be like this.
Just take the pill he gave you.
(grunts)
No need to play it quiet.
Not anymore.
Breathe steady old man. Prove you're not completely useless.
What the hell? Go out with a bang.
He likes to hear 'em scream.
I've seen his victims and their twisted little faces,
all wide-mouthed and bug-eyed, frozen in their last horrible moment of living.
No screams. Either I'm just in time or I'm way too late.
(grunts)
Ooh!
It's nothing. Barely a flesh wound. On your feet old man.
(Hartigan) Roark. Give it up.
Let the girl go.
You can't do a goddamn thing to me, Hartigan.
You know who I am.
You know who my father is!
You can't touch me, you piece-of-shit cop.
Look at you. You can't even lift that cannon you're carrying.
Sure, I can.
(screams)
Cover your eyes, Nancy. I don't want you watching this.
I mean it, baby. Cover your eyes right now.
I take his weapons away.
(screams)
Both of them.
(shrieks)
(groans)
Hell of a way to end a partnership.
(Bob) For God's sakes, don't make it any worse.
- Don't make me kill you. - Doin' fine, Bob.
Never better.
(Roark grunting)
I'm ready to kick your ass.
Keep him talking. Buy time.
Just a few more minutes. Just till the backup gets here.
Sit down and stay down. I'll kill you if I have to.
Keep his mind off the girl - skinny little Nancy.
He can't kill her once the backup gets here.
Run home, Nancy. Run for your life.
Hey. Don't listen to him. He's a crazy man.
- What a tough man you are, huh? - You stay right where you're at.
You shoot your partner in the back...
then you try to scare a little girl.
Maybe I'll pull my spare rod, plug you a couple of times, show you how it's done.
We could've worked something out, but you've blown that.
Sit down or I'll blast you in half.
- You're so slow, you'll never stop me. - Sit down!
You'll never be able to stop me.
(screams)
(sirens blaring)
I finally sit down. just like you told me to.
The sirens are close now.
She'll be safe.
Things go dark. I don't mind much.
Getting sleepy. It's OK.
She'll be safe.
An old man dies,
a little girl lives.
Fair trade.
Just tell me it isn't true, John.
What they're saying about you and that child.
It can't be true.
If you ever want to see me again...
say something now.
We're looking at your basic mountain of DNA evidence,
the testimony of your own partner,
corroboration by six eye-witnesses - and that's just so far -
and there's your own silence.
I'll do what I can, but needless to say, you are good and screwed.
Come on, Hartigan. What's holding you back?
What's shutting you up? This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
I'm not the only one on the force who smells it.
Sure, I'll rinse your bedpan and wipe your butt. That's my job.
But don't expect any friendly chitchat outta me, mister.
I heard what you've done to that girl. I hope they throw away the key.
Evenin', officer.
I don't have to introduce myself, do l? You read the papers.
This being an election year, you've seen plenty of my picture.
You know who I am and what I can do.
And I'm doin' you, Hartigan.
Cold and hard, I'm doing you.
You blew my son's ear off.
You blew his arm off. You even blew his nuts and his pecker off.
He's in a coma right now. They say he may never come out of it.
My boy.
He could've been the first Roark to become the President of the United States,
but you went and turned him into a brain-damaged, dickless freak.
Pullin' that trigger make you feel powerful?
Power don't come from a badge or a gun.
Power comes from lying.
Lying big, and gettin' the whole damn world to play along with you.
Once you got everybody agreeing with what they know in their hearts ain't true,
you've got 'em by the balls.
There's what, maybe 500 people in this hospital?
I could pump you full of bullets right now, and I wouldn't even be arrested.
Everyone would lie for me - everyone who counts.
Otherwise, all their own lies - everything that runs Sin City -
it all comes tumbling down like a pack of cards.
(laughs)
But I want you firm and fit and healthy.
I'm even putting up cash of my own to get you more surgery.
Fix that heart condition of yours.
You're gonna keep on living a long time. I'm gonna make sure of that.
You're gonna be convicted of raping that little brat, and shooting my boy.
And you're gonna spend the rest of your life in prison,
disgraced, destroyed...
alone.
Your wife?
You tell her the truth and she's dead.
You tell anybody the truth and they're dead.
They won't let me testify.
I told the cops that you saved my life and they just acted like I was crazy.
They talked my parents into keeping me away.
They said that you'd done things that you didn't do.
I told them that you saved me from that Roark creep,
but they won't even check me out to see that I'm still a virgin.
I'm still a virgin, still alive - thanks to you.
They got it all backwards.
Sometimes, the truth doesn't matter like it ought.
But you'll always remember things right.
That's gonna mean a lot to me.
But stay away, Nancy. They'll kill you if you don't stay away.
Don't visit me.
Don't write me.
Don't even say my name.
Maybe you won't let me visit, but I'll still write to you, Hartigan.
I'll sign my letters "Cordelia"
That's the name of a really cool detective in books I read.
I'll write you every week... for forever.
Sure, kid.
Now, run on home.
It's not safe for you here.
Bye, Nancy.
I love you.
John Hartigan.
Mr. Law and Order.
Mr. By the Book.
Mr. High and Mighty.
I gotta give you credit, being such a straight arrow for so damn many years
without it catching up with you.
It's catching up with you now, friend of mine.
It's catching up with you but good.
(woman) Maybe I oughta look at him. He doesn't look too good.
Ohh, he's hale and hearty, Tammy. See?
He's the picture of health.
That Tammy, there - she's fine, isn't she?
I rented her out of Old Town.
I wanted to show you what you won't be getting any of, not in prison.
You hear me, Hartigan?
If you stop being stupid, start playing along with us,
you might just get some of Tammy.
You see that? She flinched.
You make her sick.
She heard about you and that little girl.
This is nothing but a price I promised myself I'd pay. and I'm paying it.
You don't save a little girl's life, then turn around and throw her to the dogs.
Not in my book you don't.
They want a confession. They won't get it.
There was a letter from Nancy waiting when they put me in solitary.
She calls herself "Cordelia" just like she promised.
She makes no mention of anything that would give her away.
At first, I figure she'll send another note or two
before her young mind moves on to better things.
But every Thursday, another one arrives.
What a sweet kid.
I do my best to keep my hand from shaking when I reach for it.
She's the only friend I've got - the daughter I never had.
My sweet Cordelia.
Skinny little Nancy Callahan.
Eight years pass.
Then comes a Thursday when I bound from my cot.
excited as a kid at Christmas.
only to find myself staring at the damn floor of my damn cell.
Iooking for a letter from Nancy that isn't there.
Then another Thursday with no letter.
Is she all right?
Did something happen to her?
Nothing.
Two months now - not a word from Nancy.
Did they find her? Did they get to her?
Of course! Stupid old man.
Do your math. Nancy's 19 years old.
How long did you expect her to keep writing?
She was a saint to keep it up as long as she did.
She's forgotten you. old man.
You're alone.
You're all alone.
This guy smells awful - like bad food.
Like a corpse left in a garbage dumpster in the middle of summer.
He stinks so bad. I want to throw up.
Practically knocked my head off. the bastard.
When I come to. I see it.
The same kind of envelope Nancy always uses.
but there's no letter inside of it.
There's something soft.
something that ought to be alive - a hunk of meat and bone
that ought to be the index finger of the right hand of a 19-year-old girl.
How the hell did they find her?
She was so careful.
She never gave away where she lives or where she works.
(screams)
I've got to get out. I've got to help her.
Nothing else matters - not my life and not my pride. either.
It's only one final surrender they want.
You got me. Roark. You beat me.
I'll get it, Claire. That'll be Marv.
He never sleeps. He's always getting himself in deep.
Yeah?
What?
Hartigan. My God, it is you.
Yes, yes...
I'll get right on it. Right this second.
I'll be there by ten, I promise.
(Hartigan) Lucille. She wouldn't give up on me back before the trial.
She almost slugged me when I stopped her from hiring a new attorney.
When I refused to plead innocent. she did slug me.
If she hears what I'm gonna do, she'll probably slug me again.
Hartigan... Hot damn.
It's like they were waiting for my call.
They're ready to deal. They're practically begging for a deal.
They're scared of something.
One of them as much as promised me parole if you confess and express regret
and all that other dumb crap that, of course, we won't go for.
We're getting you out for time served, with no strings attached.
Then we're gonna sue those sorry sons of bitches for false prosecution.
You're gonna be exonerated, and a very rich man.
- This isn't like you think it is. - The hell it isn't.
Anyone can figure out who framed you, but even Senator Roark isn't God.
- You hung up the phone too soon. - We use the law, the press...
- He will never know what hit him. - I'm gonna confess.
Excuse me?
John Hartigan, crawling on his belly in front of a parole board?
Confessing to raping a little girl and blubbering for mercy?
No, doesn't work.
I'm going in there telling them I'm a twisted, wretched child molester,
agreeing to anything they want from me.
All right, you son of a
Let's get this over with.
I say everything they want to hear. just the way they want to hear it.
I tell them I'm a twisted. wretched child molester.
I agree to everything they want from me.
I love you Nancy.
It's a lot of miles into town, Hartigan.
- You care for a ride? - Long as you stay in front of me.
Prison's made you paranoid. Talk about water under the bridge.
Christ.
Eight years.
Yeah. Eight years.
Well, if it's any consolation to you...
you made me hate myself.
- Any word from Eileen? - Yeah.
She got remarried four years ago.
She had two kids. I'm sorry, John.
Don't be.
I'm glad.
Eileen always wanted kids.
She'll make a good mother.
Like you said, Bob - water under the bridge.
Bob and I get on with our fond farewells to each other.
then I go looking for the only human being on the planet who means a damn to me -
Nancy.
How could they have found out it was you writing all those letters to me?
How did they find out who you are?
And what have they done to you. baby?
Not a sound.
No sign of life.
Has Roark gone to all this trouble just to torture a broken old man.
Iike a kid poking at a fly when he's already torn his wings off?
What has he done to Nancy?
It's like all she ever does is read and study and write.
No diary, no phone numbers or addresses written down anywhere.
Closest thing to a clue is a pack of matches from a lousy saloon.
It's a long shot. but maybe she's got some friends there.
A dead end.
Nancy wouldn't have anything to do with a pack of drunks and losers like this.
But if there's anything to be found here, the faintest lead to wherever Nancy is
or whoever kidnapped her and mutilated her, this is the place.
Excuse me, miss. Wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for somebody.
Cold night like this, everybody's looking for somebody, stranger.
It's not like that. Her name is Nancy.
Eyes to the stage, pilgrim.
She's just warming up.
Skinny little Nancy Callahan.
She grew up.
She filled out.
Nancy Callahan. 19 years old.
And here I was. expecting a skinny little bookworm.
maybe a bit too shy for her own good.
How little she told me about herself in all her letters for all those years.
How the hell did they find her?
Then it hits me.
They were bluffing.
I've led them straight to her.
She hasn't spotted you yet.
Turn around and walk out the door.
Lead the creep outside.
Get that Beretta away from him somehow. and kill him.
I'm just a horny ex-con watching an exotic dancer.
Just a few seconds and she'll be safe.
No Nancy. Don't notice me.
Don't recognize me.
There's no time to explain.
I've made a terrible mistake, put you in terrible danger.
We need to get out of here right this second.
Whatever you say, Hartigan. Let me throw some clothes on.
And here I'd figured you'd forgotten all about me. Me and my dumb letters.
Kept me going.
Kept me from killing myself.
Hurry up, will you?
- (Hartigan) Maybe I should drive. - (Nancy) Not a chance.
Nobody but me can keep this heap running.
Besides, from the sound of things, you might have to shoot somebody.
- I don't have a gun. - Under the seat.
It's loaded and it works.
Yeah, this'll do.
Taken it to the range a couple of times. Kicks like a mule.
Hartigan, there's so much I've wanted to say to you.
You've never been far from my thoughts.
I've lain awake nights, thinking of you.
- What are you talking about? - (gunshot)
Keep driving, Nancy. Keep driving and keep the car on the road!
She's counting on you, old man.
What are you doing?
Prove you're still worth a damn.
Try and keep it on the road, Nancy!
He's a decent shot.
He's got skill. but he's in too much of a hurry.
Throwing away bullets like they were candy.
He doesn't know how to take his time.
Aim careful and look the devil in the eye.
Stop the car, Nancy. Gotta confirm the kill.
- What? - Stop the car, now!
Right. Stop the car, confirm the kill.
Sorry, I got a little rattled.
It's OK. You did great. Sit tight. I'll be right back.
No! Let me stay close.
Nothing can happen to me when I'm with you.
Please? Let me stay close.
The stink - I almost gag.
His blood smells even worse than he does.
- Jesus. - And it's all over the place.
- But the creep himself. he's gone. - (siren blaring)
We're out of time.
The sirens - I used to welcome the sound.
There's nothing to do now but find a place to hole up for the night,
get Nancy calmed down, and figure out what on Earth I'm going to do next.
The stink - somehow it stays with us all the way to the motel.
Nancy, I went to your apartment.
Your window was thrown wide open. The rooms looked almost empty.
That's why I was sure you'd been kidnapped.
My window? Robbed again? That's the third time this year!
I swore if I ever saw you again, I'd show you I grew up strong.
But there I was, just like before, scared and helpless.
- I'm such an asshole. - You should sit down.
You'll feel a little bit better if you sit down.
I've never been all that good with people.
When it comes to reassuring a traumatized 19-year-old.
I'm as expert as a palsy victim doing brain surgery with a pipe wrench.
It's always been you, Hartigan.
All these years.
It's just nerves making you say that, Nancy.
You're just exhausted. You need to sleep.
- Sleep with me. - Stop it, Nancy!
Eight years.
Why do you think I kept writing you those letters?
It wasn't just gratitude.
I tried to fall in love with boys.
Even thought I did once or twice.
But I was already in love... with you.
No.
There's wrong and there's wrong and then there's this.
For God's sakes, you're just a kid!
I love you.
I love you, too.
With all my heart.
Cold shower - it helps.
No, Nancy.
Recognize my voice, Hartigan?
Recognize my voice, you piece of shit cop?
I look different, but I bet you can recognize my voice.
Sure. I recognize your voice, Junior.
Everything's gone straight to hell.
I've been suckered into betraying the only friend I've got.
and put her in the hands of a murdering rapist I thought I'd put down for good.
Suckered by a spoiled brat son of a senator.
It's all gone to hell.
Klump, it's me.
I got a dead man needs to be fetched.
I want you to set me up for a party.
I've already got the girl, you dumb shit!
Hey, it better be perfect or I'm calling my dad!
My tools better be clean and sharp.
It better be ready! It better be perfect!
I get to do whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want it!
My dad - I'd love him if I didn't hate him.
He spent a fortune hiring every expert on the planet
to grow back that equipment you blew off from between my legs,
just so the old fart can hold out some kind of hope of having a grandkid.
Although, as you can see, there were some side effects.
I'm not complaining, though. Since you've been gone,
I've been having the time of my life.
And now you've led me back to your darling Cordelia.
We all wondered who wrote all those letters.
She left not a clue.
Clever girl. And so pretty, so pretty.
A little old for my taste, but I can forgive that just this once.
Nancy, don't scream.
Whatever he does to you, don't scream.
She'll scream. I'm gonna take all night doing dear old Nancy.
And you're gonna die knowing that it's all your fault.
They've all screamed, Hartigan.
Dozens of them - maybe a hundred.
Eight years' worth. Every one of them has screamed.
And if there weren't so many people hereabout,
I would show you how I'm gonna make dear old Nancy scream.
It's gonna be one hell of a show!
(he chokes)
This is it. No way to fight it now.
No hope left.
No chance.
This is it. This is the end.
No.
Give it a shot. old man. Keep your neck tight. Move.
The window - maybe there's an alarm. The window.
Keep your neck tight, goddamn it! Stay conscious!
Stay conscious.
No alarm.
The glass! Cut the rope.
You can do it. You can do it.
(Klump) It is inclement upon me
to comment with marked displeasure on your rash impulsiveness
in selecting such an eye-catching and impractical car to heist, Mr. Shlubb.
Protest though you might, Mr. Klump,
you must nonetheless admit the phallic magistry of said Ferrari's performance.
An engine of Cyclopean power throbs beneath this steel stallion's hood.
Irrelevant to said mission is the following query, which I now put forth to you.
Wherein this most streamlined and trunkless of transports -
boner-inspiring though it may be -
wherein are we to reposit our recently deceased cargo?
A worthy concern.
Neatly elucidated.
I can only express puzzlement that borders on alarm.
Tell me where Roark takes the girls or I'll cut your damn head off!
In plain English, creep!
The answer you seek is rural, even agrarian.
The farm!
That's all I need to hear. Every cop on the force
knows about the Roark family's farm and to stay away from it.
Shlubb and Klump were packing an arsenal.
Once things get loud. I'll probably have use for the cannons.
But at first. I'll have to play it quiet.
Quiet and nasty.
Nancy's car - six miles from the farm.
"Nobody but me can keep this heap running. " she told me.
Good girl. The car stalled out on that yellow bastard
and you didn't tell him how to start it up again.
You kept your mouth shut. I'll bet Junior was furious.
I'll bet he slapped you around something fierce.
But you stayed strong. You bought a few extra minutes.
There's still a chance, Nancy.
Don't scream.
I ditch the car a mile or so from the farm and make my way through the woods.
I'm not halfway there when it hits.
My heart. Can't be my heart.
I was cured.
Bad cough - blood in it.
Doesn't matter now.
I don't have to stay alive that much longer anyway.
Rotten way to kill a man, but it's quiet.
Hate yourself later.
(slapping)
You're only making this worse for yourself, you stupid cow!
Do you think I'm tired?
Is that it? Do you think I'm getting tired?
You're the one who's gonna crack!
You'll crack!
You'll cry and beg!
You'll scream!
Oh, yeah, you'll scream, you big, fat, ugly cow!
You'll scream!
You're thinking the whip was the worst I could do?
Thatwas foreplay.
Hartigan was right about you.
You can't get it up unless I scream.
You're pathetic!
You're pathetic.
It's not wise at all to make fun of me like that.
It brings out the worst in me.
Stupid old man!
In too much of a hurry.
Damn! It can't be!
Charging in like Galahad. just like I told myself I wouldn't!
Stupid old man!
- You tagged him good! - Don't take no chances. Perforate the fool.
Good advice.
Give it up, Junior.
It's over. Let her go.
You're dreaming, Hartigan!
I get to see your eyes while I fillet the woman of your dreams right in front of you!
Look at you! You're about to keel over!
You can't even lift that cannon!
Sure, I can.
(laughs)
You gave me a scare there for a second there, old man.
Nancy, I'm sorry.
I'm taking no chances with you.
First I soften you up, and then it's showtime.
Here it comes.
It's gonna hurt.
You're right about that.
Sucker.
I take away his weapon.
Both of them.
(screaming)
Eight long years, son of a bitch!
After a while, all I'm doing is pounding wet chunks of bone into the floorboards.
so I stop.
So long, Junior.
Been a pleasure.
I didn't scream, Hartigan, not once.
I didn't scream.
I know it, baby.
You grew up strong.
By the time I get her to the car. Nancy stops shaking.
Her skin is warm again. She's herself again.
Thanks for remembering my coat.
And for all the little things.
Like saving my life, twice.
- You better get rolling. - You're not coming along?
No. I have friends on their way, to collect evidence.
I'm gonna blow this whole sick mess wide open.
I'm gonna clear my name.
I'm gonna put Senator Roark behind bars where he belongs.
I can't lose you, not again.
You'll never lose me, Nancy.
Nancy Callahan, the love of my life.
Shame to lie to her. I hope she forgives me for it.
Get Senator Roark behind bars? Sure.
And maybe after I've pulled off that miracle, I'll go and punch out God.
There isn't a prosecutor in the state who'll go after Senator Roark.
I killed his only son.
The bloodline is cut.
Roark's lost his goddamn legacy.
He'll use all his power to get revenge on me.
He'll go after me through Nancy. He'll find her again.
There'll be no end to it.
She'll never be safe.
Not as long as I'm alive.
There's only one way to beat him.
An old man dies.
a young woman lives.
Fair trade.
I love you, Nancy.