Trek Geezer I liked the first 25 minutes as well and was disappointed in seeing Savalas departing from the movie so early. Your comments on the film are very accurate. The whole Shaw as priest thing just wasn't interesting.
I would love to see Telly Savalas in BEAU GESTE again some day and I'm still waiting to see him in LAND RAIDERS.
If you ever get the chance to pick up one of those $1 copies of BORDER COP starring Telly Savalas do it. It's a good one for the price. There are a couple companies who have this film on DVD for about $1.
As you said HORROR EXPRESS is also a very good film with Telly Savalas with a good role at the end. He is just a great character actor.
You might see another Savalas film out there called PANCHO VILLA, but it's not that good, but perhaps worth it if you want to hear him sing at the end of this Spaghetti Western film that also ends on a train. He must have liked train films during that time.
Telly Savalas is in a couple other good Westerns MCKENNA'S GOLD and THE SCALPHUNTERS. Check them out if you get the chance. THE SCALPHUNTERS is a good rare film.You don't hear much about that one.
Savalas also is in A REASON TO LIVE, A REASON TO DIE where he is the fort commander again only at the end of the movie. He seems to like doing short roles in film. I wonder if that's by choice?