Why the hell isn't this movie more respected?

Cause i thought this movie sucked. The end was horrible and the gangsters were weak. 7.2 is way to high of a rating.

This movie is SO powerful, that it had to be swept under the sheets, imho.

I'm sorry to break the mood but I just seen it and I believe I know why this movie didn't get more praise. Very simple: even though acting was great (to me especially Ed Harris, who was down right cold and evil), the plot just didn't make much sense.
First of all, the whole undercover cop thing was useless. It had nothing to do with the main plot and didn't add anything whatsoever. Main character could have been a simple gangster instead and it wouldn't have changed anything in the end.
Second, the romance going on between main character and the gangsters sister was useless too and cliché. Again, the scenes were well-acted but all they did was slowing down the pace. Nothing came out of it either.
Third, I don't know about you guys but to me, the Gary Oldman character didn't deserved to be avenged, not even by his best friend. He was a psycho and all he did was getting what was coming to him. Any mob boss, brother or not, would have had this crazy loon taken care of at the first opportunity. And that's what leads me to my next point:
Fourth, when Ed Harris finally decides he has to dispatch him, why in the world did he orchestrated a whole dock operation instead of killing him right in his appartment where there were no witnesses? At the very least, if he wanted to stick to this plan, why did he go himself risking to be seen doing so? It just didn't make much sense.
Finally, the last shoot-out didn't belong in this film. I'm sorry but it was totally ridiculous and out of place. It really clashed with the atmosphere the movie previously established. We went from a serious mob story, with killers used to shoot people as if it was nothing, to some king of Bruce Willis Die Hard climax where nobody can shoot straigh but the good guy. Nice cinematography on this one but no seriousness. I was disapointed.
All that said, I still greatly enjoyed the flick. I just don't think it was any better than any other of the genre. As for the respect it received, I believe it got exactly what it deserved, which is a fan base, like any other cult film out there.

It is odd you make this observation as I just told my sister same....(I had to order it through interlibrary loan
as none of the 3 local county library systems carry it which is a shame)
When I look at this and the two films you cited, I think of how much more thoughtful this film was
in terms of character studies.
There is nothing wrong with Goodfellas (was not impressed by GF 3 tho) but this had
more depth to it

I think the main issue is: It's just too realistic. The "Godfathers" and "Goodfellas" have LOTS of dramatic flourishes, and come close to being almost operatic. Here, you have complicated characters and situations that aren't as linear and aren't as easy to digest as the two "G"s.

So, since it doesn't go down as easy, and because the script and acting are both underplayed, the movie just didn't catch on like the others.

This movie was very fun.
Jackie made the whole movie

Sean Penn is a bit weak and the storyline with Robin Wright doesn't do it any favors.

A good film but just not great.

yeah its pretty great imo.