Three movies on Netflix to celebrate Eric Dane’s legacy
Eric Dane’s demise last week left the showbiz world beyond repair, as he crossed the rainbow bridge aged 53. But as long as entertainment lives on, so does his legacy, which we are about to take a look back at with a brief yet impactful Netflix watchlist.
Dane’s most iconic character introduction took place in Shonda Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy, where he portrayed Dr Mark “McSteamy” Sloan. Not only did he go on to become a series regular by the third season, playing the character for seven seasons, but he became synonymous with it.
Before Grey’s Anatomy, Dane appeared in various late ‘90s and early ‘00s classic shows like Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, and Charmed, among others. But with the character of Mark Sloan, he was officially on the map.
While there’s no holding back on the Grey’s rewatches, especially now, for those yearning for more, here are three movies on Netflix to celebrate Eric Dane’s legacy.
Three movies on Netflix to celebrate Eric Dane’s legacy
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, 2024)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die marks the fourth instalment of the cop buddy action-comedy film series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Co-directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the sequel to Bad Boys for Life follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett on a mission to clear the name of their late Captain Conrad Howard and prove his innocence, following false allegations of inciting conspiracy.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die stars Eric Dane as former US Army Ranger Staff Sergeant-turned-criminal, James McGrath, whose professional evolution is a consequence of the Cartels’ capturing and tormenting him. As the primary antagonist, James is the mastermind who orchestrates the plot to frame Captain Howard for corruption, forcing Mike and Marcus to risk everything in an attempt to uncover the real culprit.
Burlesque (Steve Antin, 2010)
Serving as a backstage musical film written and directed by Steve Antin, Burlesque tells the story of a small-town singer, Ali Rose, who relocates to Los Angeles and lands a job as a cocktail waitress. While that’s Ali’s first step of fulfilling her lifelong dream, the historic burlesque lounge owned by Tess, where she lands the job, is unfortunately edging towards financial ruin, with the owner trying her best to hold off creditors and a predatory developer.
Despite her designation, when one fine day, a rival ends up sabotaging the show, Ali takes centre stage. In Burlesque, Eric Dane portrays Marcus Gerber, a rich business owner, who gets swept off by Ali. Although the musical primarily focuses on Ali’s underdog story, including a Cupid component that has nothing to do with Marcus, the storyline and the character arcs do make the narrative a lot more tense, interesting, and ultimately gratifying.
Redeeming Love (DJ Caruso, 2022)
Inspired by Francine Rivers’ 1991 novel based on the Biblical story of Hosea, Redeeming Love is a Western romance drama film, currently streaming on Netflix. Set in the American Old West during the California Gold Rush, the romantic film centres on Angel, originally Sarah, who was sold into prostitution as a child and has been surviving her life with bitterness and fear. Besides her nature of self-loathing, she’s distrustful of everyone she comes across, let alone men.
But then she comes across Michael Hosea, who pursues Angel despite her aversion, believing it was God who sent him to marry her. Eric Dane portrays Duke, a man from Angel’s past, as a sex worker who coerces her back into the hellhole, later attempting to murder to seek vengeance for exposing his trafficking. Duke serves as the primary obstacle to Angel’s emancipation and empowerment in Redeeming Love.