In 2002, Joe Carnahan wrote and directed "Narc," a down-and-dirty detective story that was rightfully hailed as the 21st century cousin of "The French Connection." Carnahan quickly became one of Hollywood's hottest properties: He was attached to write and direct "Mission Impossible III," only to drop out six weeks before production was scheduled to begin. His name was mentioned when Art Linson was looking for somebody to helm "The Black Dahlia" and was also rumored to be adapting and directing Lawrence Block's crime novel "A Walk Among The Tombstones," with Harrison Ford as protagonist Matt Scudder.

Now, Carnahan has finally made his second movie — the pumped up action goof "Smokin' Aces" — and in the process has managed to alienate the very same critics who built Carnahan up to be the next Friedkin or Scorsese.

It remains a mystery why Carnahan shunned the more pedigreed jobs he was offered in order to make a picture like "Smokin' Aces," a fun, un-ambitious little riff on westerns, kung fu movies and mob stories.

Ah, but enough hedging: Is the picture any good? Well, sort of. It works in a kind of laid-back, detached way. It is buoyed by Carnahan's energy and a delightfully well-stocked cast that is a who's who of entertaining, B-list male actors of varying degrees of fame: Jason Bateman, Peter Berg, Martin Henderson, Matthew Fox, David Proval, Alex Rocco and "Narc" leading man Ray Liotta, as well as Ben Affleck and rap artist Common.

At the center of the cast is Jeremy Piven ("Entourage") as Buddy Israel, a moderately talented magician and underworld stooge who has brought his life into danger by agreeing to testify against the mob. Ryan Reynolds ("Just Friends") and Liotta play a pair of FBI agents sent to protect the new star witness. The magician hides himself away in a Lake Tahoe penthouse in order to avoid the swarm of mob hit men who are out to collect the bounty on his head, which, needless to say, is easier said than done.

The set-up is a jolly action cliché, but Carnahan raises the stakes by never slowing down, and it works to a certain extent. I tired quickly of Carnahan's quick-moving freak show of hired killers, but found a special kind of pleasure in the more grounded characters, especially Bateman, who gives a wonderful turn as a lawyer unable to stop hustling. Affleck also turns up the heat as a crooked bail bondsman.

Anchoring the film is Piven, who gives the movie a goofy, sweaty, insecure kind of charm, although by this point, Piven is tiring as an actor as well as a personality. Has any other talent been so over-exposed in recent months? From his pitch-perfect walk-on in "Singles" to his earlier supporting roles in "Grosse Point Blank" and "Serendipity," Piven has previously displayed great range and gravitas. Because of this, it has been a bit disheartening to see him sink so happily into the role of aggressive sleazebag on "Entourage," and now here. The actor's recent spat with former pal John Cusack — possibly one of the most genuine, supportive people in the movie industry — leaves a bad taste which is impossible to shake, especially since his character Israel is such a disingenuous weasel, too, spending the entire movie betraying the people who built him up.

Maybe I'm just trying to read too much into this movie. All you really need to know is that stuff blows up and it looks pretty good doing it. But leaving the theater, I wanted more from Carnahan and Piven. The supporting players get a pass, since they seem to know this is a goof. But for the star and the director, this feels like an entertaining, somewhat unwelcome detour on the way to better things.

Hopefully.

Grade: 3 out of 5