<3 Clint Eastwood

One of the main themes of Gran Turino is overcoming barriers, not to say "racism" - since I don't think Clint's character is racist in that he hates blacks, asians, etc... but more that they make him uncomfortable because of the unfamiliarity. He befriends the Hmongs that live next door and as a result learns that he has more in common with them than he might think. Also the friendships he builds are conveyed really well, and seem quite meaningful.

There's also Clint's own internal struggle to overcome the traumas he faced during the Korean war, which haunt him throughout the movie until he finally is at peace in the end. For example, most people would expect Clint's character to kill all the gangsters at the end, especially because Clint's characters are always badass. He realizes though that he doesn't need to kill them to get what he wants, and he also wants to send a message to Thao that violence is not the only way to solve problems. He sacrificed himself to have the gangsters actually arrested and put in jail rather than retaliate violence on violence, which would only perpetuate problems in the future. So in the end, he is able to make peace with himself and die in a truly heroic fashion - not like his earning of the silver star during the Korean War for actually killing people.