Is it genuinely possible to tame violent dogs, Crocodile Dundee style?

Was recently watching the film Crocodile Dundee and there was this scene where 2 violent looking dogs went to attack him but he did this thing with his hand and stare which effectively made them docile and non agressive. Just want to know whether the technique actually works or if its just typical Hollywood make believe. I guess you'll have had to have seen the film to know what im going on about, sorry about that.