The one major nitpick I personally had with the depiction (as an autistic person myself) is that his profession as an assassin could give add to the misbelief that autism results in a lack of empathy, what with his multiple coldblooded killings. I also agree with your assessment that the film itself was actually trying to make the point it was his military training responsible but overheard comments from the audience gave me the impression that this distinction was missed.
I did however very much like the depiction of how it can affect social behaviour, like his freakout when unable to complete his financial investigation and how he followed his beatdown on a giant thug with a cheery little wave to the horrified farmer couple.
"These 'no-nonsense' solutions of yours just don't hold water in a complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel."
I figured, based on his dad\'s comments in the opening scene, that the loud music, strobes, etc. was actually his dad\'s idea of \"desensitization training,\" forcing him into things he finds uncomfortable to \"toughen him up.\"
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An autistic assassin with a personal code of ethics!?! Why, yes
In fiction, autism is often portrayed as either a Disability Superpower, or as something completely terrible and life destroying, or it's tossed around as just a label for nerdy characters who show no actual autism traits (I'm looking at you, Spooksville). Fortunately, fiction is getting better at portraying it in a nuanced way.
Via flashbacks, we learn that as a child, Christian was so severely autistic that he punched holes in walls and would flip out over the most minor of changes or inability to complete tasks. A missing puzzle piece? He gets increasingly agitated to the point of screaming and yelling. The kid is severely disabled. Yet, his dad puts him through brutal training in an attempt to prepare him for a harsh outside world, and to learn to control his aggression.
Indeed, Christian's autism is not used as the reason he's so good at being an assassin. His dad's forced military-style training is.
As an adult, Christian is accomplished with accounting but not social skills. We see his awkward interactions with people as he accidentally offends them, then tries to set things straight, which sometimes offends them more:
He lives alone, parks his car precariously in his garage at an awkward angle, and turns on strobe lights and blasts extremely loud heavy metal music to help himself calm down. Such loud music is torture to my ears, but autism symptoms, such as sensitivity to sound, can go opposite directions.
Despite being heroic, Christian is also a criminal. He gives stolen money to charities, particularly those who help autistics, and secretly provides government agents with information on human trafficking victims and other major crimes. He's a criminal with a major code of honor. In fact, what triggers his assassinations, is witnessing people he cares about being murdered or having attempts made on their life.
The movie itself is a mixture of character drama, and suspenseful action. The story is told out of order, so it can be a bit confusing at times (I had to read a synopsis to piece some of it together!). But the main question of course is, did it portray the concept of an autistic assassin well?
I think so. Autism is unlikely to make a person a good assassin, though some might argue that an unusually high sensitivity to sound or visuals (heightened senses) could prove an advantage there. Christian's social skills difficulties do not get in the way of his ability to kill or survive, and I would have liked to have seen at least some of that. Maybe show him being manipulated into committing a crime and not realizing it?
Still, the movie portrays some of the hardships, skills and quirks autism can bring, and manages to put them into an action hero in a way I found plausible enough, all things considered. I enjoyed it. Many critics said the movie was unrealistic. Well, so's Batman.