Always wanted to weigh in...

Don't you just love movies about guys that had it all and blew it- then watch their lives fall apart all around them (GoodFellas, Raging Bull, etc...).
This is on of the best and underrated dramas ever and I think it's because viewers just could stick with it. It is long and very detailed but there's never a wasted scene and the acting by the entire cast is, still to this day, not been matched. Smart move by Sidney Lumet to cast an entire 3 hour film with virtually unknown actors to keep the story real. I mean- Imagine John Travolata as Danny Ciello? The film would have made money but I would have knocked this down a notch or two.