Goodbye Paradise (1982)

In a somewhat far-fetched premise (not uncommon to the genre), this action film has some Australians (including soldiers) joining up with Asian forces, all backed by American money, ready to take over Surfers Paradise, a resort and retirement area on the Gold Coast of Queensland. They are not interested in good surf or securing an ideal retirement home, they just want the off-shore petroleum rights and inland uranium deposits. Right into their scheme walks Michael Stacey (Ray Barrett), a one-time policeman who left the force because of an alcohol problem and now has to make money as a private eye. While he is looking for the missing daughter of an old friend, now in politics, he runs into the usual private-eye characters: the barmaid who is willing to spend some quality time with him, the corpse that shows up in his hotel room, and the former buddies who turn against his investigation. Two of his friends are fronting the coalition of take-over forces and invite Stacey to join them in their conspiracy. Now the detective has to make up his mind about where all this is going, and if he wants to avoid any unhealthy alliances, how can he do that and stay physically intact? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi