With Panamint's Bad Man, the brief film starring career of singing cowboy
Smith Ballew came to an end. The star plays Kimball, a good guy who poses as a bad guy to gain the confidence of outlaw chieftan Gorman (Noah Beery Sr.) Kimball assumes the identity of Black Jack (
Stanley Fields), a Texas desperado who spends most of the picture behind bars. Much of the film is played for laughs, especially when the likeable Black Jack discovers to his chagrin that he's been unwittingly helping the feds in bringing Gorman to justice. Heroine
Evelyn Daw is on hand solely to provide an enthusiastic audience for
Smith Ballew's song renditions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide