Definitely up there with the French Connection
I don't know why you don't hear as much about this film.
That question is up there with, "Why hasn't Roy Scheider won an Oscar?" No justice in this world.
shareI thought he won something for Jaws.
Aliases; Haptki ze penis, crotchkicker, Bossman, The Caboose
Scheider had two Oscar nominations: one for best supporting actor in THE FRENCH CONNECTION (he lost to Ben Johnson in LAST PICTURE SHOW) and he was a best actor nominee for ALL THAT JAZZ. He lost that one, too.
As to the original poster's point; I like THE SEVEN-UPS (great locals, great chase, good performances), but after watching THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE for the first time in a number of years and seeing how well-made that film is, I think THE SEVEN-UPS suffers from first-time director-itis. Phil D'Antoni was a great producer who took the directing reins on this film, is not a skilled visual storyteller as the film is slackly paced (except for the chase scene) and needlessly convoluted.
For the best comparison, watch this film back-to-back with, say, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, and you can feel this film's flabbiness.
I watched the Seven-Ups for the first time in a while recently, and I was reminded how inferior it is to The French Connection! Even though 70% of the cast/crew of FC return, it falls way short of it. There are plenty of better 70's movies, like Pelham, Charley Varrick, FC2 and Marathon Man.
sharehe was robbed for the french connectionWhen there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...