I'm not referring to the original movie with Yul Brynner, although on its own it too is a classic.
Just this week I watched the premiere episode of HBO's new series of the same name, and it absolutely blew me away. In fact I've already re watched it twice, it's that fucking good.
It's dark, visceral and intelligent. The cast is top shelf, featuring Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright and Ed Harris. But the standout performance in episode 1 comes from an actor you may have never heard of: Louis Herthum. He's excellent in every sense of the word, and he stole one particular scene right out from under the aforementioned Hopkins.