In a contemporary review for
The New York Times, critic
Bosley Crowther called
Dakota Lil a "frank adventure film" and wrote: "[E]ven with Marie Windsor playing the temptatious role in an assortment of off-the-shoulder dresses and in a wickedly coquettish style, we're afraid that her powerful fascinations will not overwhelm the audience. As a matter of fact, we have good reason to suspect they will put folks to sleep. For the story is woefully hackneyed, the action is dismally routine and the actors, including Miss Windsor and George Montgomery, are downright grim. Furthermore,
Cinecolor casts a pale and sickly hue over all. The best way to view this picture is as a juvenile indiscretion of all concerned." Critic Edwin Schallert of the
Los Angeles Times wrote: "'Dakota Lil' has a scenario treatment well above the average for a western. Just who is going to work in behalf of whom becomes an interesting problem in the picture. ... The picture ends badly with too many rescuers. It is likely to get an undesired laugh after going pretty well the rest of the way." ==Comic-book adaptation==