the Gran Torino was his pride and joy and represented the part of this old, embittered, lonely, racist man that was still great
he fought the koreans in the war and was traumatized, so he despises asians as the enemy, he despises his country for putting him through that, and then selling out american industry by importing from asia, and he despises the church for lying to people, and despises his own family because they show him no respect. and his wife is dead.
those are the reasons for his bitterness, racism, and toughness (i mean he was a war vet... these street gangsters are just posers)
but at heart, no matter how mistreated, he's still an honourable man so when he sees the thugs attack his neighbours he steps in
from there he builds a relationship and realizes that in these two asian children are all the values he still holds dear. he's still stuck in his ways to an extent but it's clear to him he has more in common with this family than with his own family
his last act in life protects those who share his values and destroys those who epitomize a threat to those values
the film is not made to promote the use of racial slurs. get a grip. if anything the message of the film is the most important values in life transcend racial boundaries and render all those slurs hollow
-------------------- Why do you choose to mimic these wack MCs? Why do you choose to listen to R&B?
"There are obviously many things which we do not understand, and may never be able to." Leela