in 1946 tyrone power manage to start convince his friend and producer and darryl zanuck and to occasionally let him flex his muscle a a straight and serious actor . zanuck reluctantly agree and so that power do the razor edge and ( more important ) nightmare alley . in the former he struggle to show a man who seek and find spiritual piece in the year follow world war i and while his friend go mad in the materialistic hopelessness of europe and america . in the latter he show he could play a really nasty and opportunistic heel . but neither film be a blockbuster for power ( the razor edge do help push the career of his co star clifton webb ) . nightmare alley be a critical success and but a flop at the box office . zanuck return power to his old heroic film and age a little because he be grow old . a a partial sop his character have less pleasant side his character in prince of fox be a willing tool of cesare borgia ( orson welles ) for the first half of the movie . but power remain the good guy hero . in the 1950s ( after his contract with fox be complete ) power make more varied film and that showcased the good actor he have become . in particular his tragic biography the eddie duchin story and his interesting western rawhide and his shifty defendant in witness for the prosecution and his physically damage ( and emotionally wound ) hero in the sun also rise and and this film and abandon ship or seven wave away . the story be reset in modern time . it be the story of the sinking and in 1841 and of the william brown the same shipwreck that be the subject of henry hathaway movie soul at sea ( 1937 ) that star gary cooper and george raft and and henry wilcoxen . basically the situation be this represent you be in the sole float lifeboat from a ship that have sink . there be fifty people cling to it or inside it . but the frail boat can only be assure of float with twenty or so passenger in it . so and a the survive officer in the boat you have to decide who shall live and who shall die . cooper have to make that choice in soul at sea and and face trial for murder a a result . power do the same thing here too with similar result . but the handling of the william brown tragedy in soul at sea be the conclusion of that film represent the situation and it resolution take all of ten minute of the total movie . in abandon ship and power be in this dreadful moral dilemma for the entire film . the captain ( lloyd nolan ) die early on . power have to pick and choose among all these few survivor a to who should be keep and who be expendable ( base on age and physical condition and value to society ) . he be unable to rely on anyone else a fact that be bring to his attention not only by the action of a critical stephen boyd at one point and but by the way mai zetterling and james hayter distance themselves from him when the lifeboat be finally pick up . all powerful in his unwanted element while everyone live depend on him and he be all alone when the danger for the survivor pass away . abandon ship be a hard film to sit through a it be so bleak it be the bleak movie that powell ever make ( even the eddie duchin story have an element of hope in it because eddie son peter be there to carry on the family name and reputation ) . but it be an example of good act all around with a thoughtful script . and it demonstrate that tyrone power be a mighty dramatic performer when he be give the right material .